Beginning of a Legend
by blackeyesblueeyes
Summary: The Great Race is over, but Eva still races. A new race, new friends, old enemies and old friends. How will Eva handle it all?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Oban Star-Racers. If I did, Eva and Jordan would have ended up together.

_You know, for as amazing as today should be, it really isn't,_ Rick thought to himself.

Rick Thunderbolt, ex-champion star racer pilot and potential Oban hopeful, was now a mechanic at the Wei racing team garage. It wasn't really what he wanted to be doing, but since his injury prevented him from actually driving the racers, working on them seemed the next best thing. He's understood most of how the star racers were constructed, and when Don Wei returned from the Great Race, he'd been happy to give Rick a job. Sure they still got into fights, and every now and then Don would "fire" him, but for what it was worth it was a good job.

It should have been great, since a drop-dead gorgeous woman had brought her car in to get fixed. Now, it wasn't customary for anyone to get their car fixed my star racer mechanics, but Rick had known the woman and offered to fix it for her. Though he couldn't for the life of him remember her name.

Oh, she'd flirted with him, and now stood next to her car chattering away while Rick worked on the undercarriage. He'd taken notice that she'd chosen the wear a skirt, and at any particular time he could have a very nice view.

But he couldn't bring himself to do it. Mostly because she hadn't stopped talking since she'd pulled her car into the garage. He banged around the pipes and screws, hoping to drown out the noise, but it hadn't worked. So now he just hoped he could fix it fast enough and have her be on her way.

She laughed suddenly, which caused him to bang his hand and drop the wrench he'd been using. He cursed, the frown becoming deeper as he reached for it. The woman just would not stop talking, and now she was drumming her fake red nails against the door.

He almost told her to quit it when three pairs of legs bolted inside the garage door. They disappeared behind some oil drums, and that's when Rick felt the thundering in the ground. He shook his head and smiled. The three brats had somehow managed to entangle themselves with the police again and were hiding out in the garage. Only problem was, the police had figured out that's where they hid most often, since none of the other garages ever wanted them anywhere near their property. He went to push himself out from under the car when a pair of tennis shoes stopped outside the garage. The black boots of the police skidded to a halt nest to the tennis and were probably talking to the owner. He shifted, the left foot pointed further down the row of garages that lined up in a row. The boots took off, the thundering dimming until it couldn't be heard anymore.

_Well that was interesting_, Rick thought, pulling himself out from underneath the car. He stood up and brushed off, peering from the corner of his eye at the figure in the doorway. The figure seemed to be watching the retreating officers before he headed inside.

As it turned out, the _he_ was in fact a _she_, and she had long black hair tied up and away from her face in a pony tail. Rick turned to face her, and took notice of her green eyes and long oval face. But what really got Rick was how tall she was. Far away, she looked to be about average height, but up close she was nearly as tall as he was. That gave her the appearance of being very lean and athletic. At least, he assumed she was athletic, since she was wearing a long sleeved shirt and jeans. She walked over and smiled at him.

"Hello. Is this Wei racing?" she asked. She was quiet, not necessarily shy, but definitely quiet. Rick could feel the heat radiating off the car owner in waves, but chose to ignore it. In fact, he smiled at the young woman, which made Miss Red Nails stomp her foot.

"Yeah. And you are?" She opened her mouth to reply, but Don did it for her.

"Ah, Bethany, you're here. Glad to see you made it alright. I see you've met Rick Thunderbolt, one of my best mechanics."

"Mr. Wei, a pleasure to finally meet you in person. Yes, it seems that I've interrupted Mr. Thunderbolt's work and making this lovely client very impatient. If you could show me where I will be staying, I can get started right away."

"Yes, yes. Follow me." Don turned and headed back up the stairs towards his office, with Bethany about to follow. Before she did though, she turned to Rick.

"You may want to take care of those misfits behind the oil drums before the police come back," she whispered, and followed the manager to his office. Rick watched her walk off, a small smile creeping up his face. This one would be very interesting to watch. Very interesting indeed.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Again, I do not own Oban Star-Racers or any of its characters. The only ones that are mine are those that aren't canon, and mine alone.

After Rick had taken care of the misfits and Nicole, at least that's what he thought her name was, he headed over to the dining hall. Miss Red Nails are cooed and swooned over him, trying to coax him into coming to dinner with her, but he couldn't bring himself to try and pretend that he would be interested in what she had to say.

The dining hall wasn't entirely crowded yet, but it was still early and the skies hadn't yet opened up. It had been sunny when the new girl had come to the garage, but Rick had noticed the dark storm clouds looming in the distance. By the time he'd finished with all his work for the day, the clouds had managed to stall right over the race track and were threatening, but hadn't let loose just yet.

Rick got himself a cup of coffee and sat at the end of one of the long tables, watching as more and more people rushed inside, hoping to beat the rain. He was only about a third done when the skies finally opened up, and thunder cracked overhead. He watched as mechanic and pilot came in, each waterlogged in his own right.

A tiny black slicker caught his eye as it managed to squeeze in almost unnoticed amongst the traffic. It looked around the hall until it spotted him, then took off past the competitors. Shouts and protests were heard as water splashed from the slicker on to each of them, most of them having been previously dry. The slicker stopped just short of Rick, nearly dry after the sprint.

"You have way too much fun with that, Eva. You're becoming sadistic," Rick told her. She let the hood fall back to reveal her flushed face. In just over a year since the Great Race of Oban, Eva Wei had somehow managed to grow up, or had at least begun to look more mature. Her face seemed smoother and she was letting her hair grow. It was starting to take on more red than black, which led Rick to suspect that it would eventually turn completely red. For anyone else, it might have been a harsh color, but for Eva it was a complement. She still had the spikes in her ear, but she'd managed along the way to become more graceful and fluid. She still wore they same tennis shoes and khaki pants, but wore a simple black shirt that covered her navel. Her usual shirt wasn't appropriate attire for school.

"Oh Rick, you're beginning to sound like my father," she said. She smiled, though, and slung the wet raincoat over the back of her chair, a small puddle already forming on the floor.

"I hope for all our sakes that's not the case. How was school?"

"Same old, same old. I'm just glad it's the weekend, and that there's a race. I'm dying to get back on the track, relieve a little bit of this tension." She stretched, as if to prove her point.

"Seen your dad yet today?"

"Kind of. I stopped by real quick just to tell him I was there, and then came here. Why?"

"Just want to make sure I don't need to call an ambulance so that your father doesn't worry," he said.

"Eh, my dad needs to worry every once in a while. It's good for him. Anyways, I saw someone else in Don's office. Know who it is?" She leaned forward putting her elbows on the table.

"Far as I know, her name's Bethany. Don't know what she's here for, but she got here this afternoon. Seems she and your dad already knew each other."

Eva leaned back again. "Yeah, I think my dad was muttering something about getting someone for the paperwork one day, but I don't really remember. If that's all she's here for, then she's going to find herself very bored a lot."

"I don't think so." Eva jumped and spun around to look up at her dad. Rick smiled into his cup.

"Gees Dad, don't do that," she complained. Don took a seat next to her and rested his arms on the table.

"She's not only here to do the paperwork, but whatever miscellaneous chores need to be done. She'll keep track of records and races, our money intake and output, and anything else. She may even be able to help in the garage," Don said. Rick raised an eyebrow at the last statement.

"That's great Don, but do you know anything else about her? Like, where she came from? What her last job was? What she's doing here at the race tracks?" Rick asked.

"She used to work for a public relations firm before she quit. Her previous employer gave outstanding recommendations, but didn't know why she'd quit. I'm not really sure why she came to work at the races, but that's not really my business. I checked out her history as far as criminal and medical pasts go and she's clean down both sides. I think we've got a real winner here," Don said and sat back in his chair. Both Eva and Rick studied him for a minute, before she shrugged her shoulders.

"Doesn't really matter to me. It'll be nice to have another girl on the team at least," Eva smiled. Rick's eyebrow still didn't go down.

"Okay then. Why isn't she here?" Don looked over at him.

"She had a lot of paperwork to do, and also told me she's not particularly fond of storms."

"Your words or hers?"

"Hers. I told her that would be fine, but that the dining hall closed at eleven. She told me she'd be okay and busied herself." With that said, Don stood and walked over to get himself some food with Eva following close behind him. Rick finished his coffee, but didn't get up. He watched the two retreating backs, but thought about the new recruit. She didn't seem malicious, but then again, a lot of people could put on a good show, and Don would be gullible enough to fall for it.

Rick stood up and stretched. Whether she was here for paperwork or not, the bottom line was that she was here. And there was something very alluring about her.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Oban Star-Racers or any of the canon characters. For now, I only own Bethany.

"Oh man, I am so full!" Eva cried. She stretched and ambled down the hallway to her room. Dinner had been relatively quiet, with Rick and Don talking about the race the next day and the upgrades being made to her star racer. She smiled. She was looking forward to this race.

"Hmmm?" The young pilot stopped in front of her dad's office, staring at the woman bent over the desk. She looked to be very busy, but that had never stopped Eva before. She walked in and peered over the woman's shoulder at the paper she was so interested in.

"You know," she said, causing Eva to jump, "it's very rude to look over one's shoulder, especially when they are at work." Bethany, at least that's what Eva thought her name was, turned around and smiled.

"Oh, I was just passing by and saw that the light was on and uh…"

"You got curious." Eva blushed. Bethany just kept smiling. "It's not a big deal, really. But you really should announce yourself, even if you are the boss' daughter."

"How did you know?"

"A little luck, but mostly based on the fact that you're the only one around here under the age of twenty. I'm Bethany, by the way." She held out her hand.

"I've heard. Nice to meet ya." Eva took the offered hand, but was surprised to find how warm it was. They shook hands, but Bethany did not turn back to the desk when they separated.

"So what exactly is my dad paying you to do here?" Eva asked glancing passed the woman to the mess of papers on the desk.

"Paperwork, keeping records, filing, mostly secretary stuff. He'll probably run the cult ritual supply list by me, to make sure we have the budget for it. Eva, I'm kidding. It's just a joke," she said, after noticing the look of shock. "Really, it's just miscellaneous stuff and anything else he can find for me to do. I'm a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none kind of person." She shifted back around to the desk and began rifling through the mountain of paperwork.

"Would you like any help?" Eva offered, standing. Bethany turned and smiled at her.

"Not today. Right now, it's just a matter of getting a system going. Your dad was good at keeping track of all this, but now that he wants to spend more time going over the star racers in person, it's up to me to make sure all of this stays together and relatively organized. I'll need help in the future for sure, but not now. Thank you though."

"Okay," Eva said and turned to go.

"Oh, and Eva?" The young girl glanced over her shoulder. "Come talk to me anytime you need to. I always have an open ear, even if I'm swamped." She smiled and left the woman to her paperwork.

The hallway was dark and felt damp when she finally reached her room. The door slid open with a 'whoosh' to reveal a living space that fit under the description of "organized chaos." There were books strewn everywhere, with papers and CDs filling in the gaps that the books failed to find. To her father, it was unlivable. To Eva, it was like a home away from home, and she'd made it so.

She didn't bother turning on the light, just shed the shirt, shoes, and pants, and sat down on the bed. The storm outside was still raging on, and a streak of lightening lit the room for a split second. It seemed almost ghostly, but Eva wasn't afraid.

But she was sad. Bethany was a very warm person, and had left Eva feeling better than she had all day, but now that she was alone and away from the light…

She looked out the window at the rain and the storm clouds. Somewhere, light years away was the planet Oban. She'd won the Great Race and in all accounts, the Ultimate Prize. But she hadn't taken it. No, she'd hesitated and for her hesitation, someone else had taken it for her. He'd told her that it had been his decision and he was glad for it. He was the Avatar after all and had almost immeasurable power.

But it didn't fill the empty hole that his leaving had left behind.

She could feel the tears slipping down her cheeks. The heavy weight that had been on her shoulders all day came back in full force, and she hugged her pillow to her chest.

She closed her eyes and let the tears fall. And wished and wished that she'd been strong enough to have taken the Ultimate Prize for him.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Oban Star-Racers or its canon characters. Bethany is mine, however, so she is copyright me.

The sun was always too happy in the morning after a night of raining, and Eva pulled the pillow over her head. She really didn't mind mornings all that much, but after a night like hers the sun could have been a little less happy.

"Up and at it, Miss Wei. We've got a race today," Rick called to her. Eva grumbled and turned over, trying to get some more sleep, but it was no use. She was awake and sleep was doing it's best to evade her.

She pulled herself up and swung her feet over the edge, rubbing her eyes. They weren't too bad this morning, only a little dry and itchy. There had been some mornings where she'd had to bolt past family and crew to make it to the bathrooms without being seen. It didn't happen often, but she would have preferred that it didn't happen at all.

She pulled on a new shirt and pants, grabbed her toiletries and headed for the bathroom. For the garage, it was a communal bathroom, so men and women had to share. For Eva, that wasn't a big deal. She was just wondering how the new girl was doing.

After throwing out a few "mornings" to crew members and seeing her father for a quick second, she finally made it to the bathroom. When the door opened, she was surprised to find a sleepy looking Bethany brushing her teeth, staring at the image in the mirror. Eva made her way over to the neighboring sink and plopped her bag down on the edge.

"Morning sunshine," she sing-songed. Bethany looked down at her, lifted an eyebrow, and went back to staring at the image in the mirror. Eva couldn't help but laugh. She was feeling better already.

"God I hate mornings," Bethany grumbled over her toothbrush. "I am a night owl through-and-through. If they would make mornings later, I would be set for life." She spit and rinsed out her mouth, gargling while still keeping an eye on the mirror. Eva felt her own eyebrow lift, the toothbrush moving automatically.

"I don't think your reflection is going to jump out and get you," she said. Bethany looked over at her and cocked the other eyebrow.

"Oh, you don't think so? Well, one day your back's gonna be turned and then BAM! That's when she'll get ya. But, that's just what I've heard." She stretched and scooped all her things into her bag while Eva nearly choked on her toothbrush she was laughing so hard. She looked at her one final time.

"Today's the first day I'll get to see you race. I'll be in the surveillance room, but I'm looking forward to it," she said smiling, and left. Eva smiled and spit. Today wasn't going to be a half bad day after all.

The rest of the day went quickly, with Eva getting an introduction to the upgrades, warming up, testing the system, the usual warm-up. She managed to get through to noon without seeing Bethany even once and even asked her dad about it.

"Don't bother her right now. She still busy organizing the papers and getting everything into proper working order. And yes, she will be coming to see your race from the surveillance room," he'd told her, and then literally shoved her towards the door to continue tests.

"Welcome to the Fourteenth Annual World Cup Championships! All racers, report to the starting line." Her head jerked up. She'd been busy most of the day that she hadn't noticed that the race was about to start. Eva scurried up the ladder and started the engine as the hood for the cockpit slid closed. She tested the rocket seat one last time and moved the racer out of the hanger.

"So how does she move?" Don asked. His face popped up on a screen, along with one of Rick and another of Bethany.

"Great. The timing still has me a little off, but a few moves in and I'll be good to go," she told them.

"If it doesn't improve, let us know and we'll fix it after the race," Rick said. His glasses shifted, which meant he was looking as someone, and if Eva had to guess, it was Bethany. She'd picked up on Rick's unease at dinner the night before, and didn't really blame him. But he could have had a little more faith than that.

"I know you don't trust me, Rick, and that's just fine, but you'd best have some hard evidence to prove it," Bethany told him. She hadn't looked away from the screen, obviously meant to catch him off guard.

"Who said I didn't trust you?"

"No one, but the only way you'd be any more obvious is by hanging a giant neon sign over your head." Eva muffled a snort, and even saw her father crack a half smile before clearing his throat.

"Alright, that's enough for now. Eva, I want you to be careful around the turns with that system and keep your eyes open for the Spartan team. They're not happy about their recent lose and rumor has it they have their eye on us," Don said.

"Roger," Eva responded and the screens disappeared. She brought the ship to a halt at the starting line and waited for the rest of the competition.

Don, Rick, and Bethany watched as other racers pulled up to the starting line, engines revving in an effort to show off. Rick wasn't impressed and hadn't been back in his day. The true test of skill would come on the track, not at the starting line.

He glanced over at Don, who was keeping a keen eye on the main screen. He had an ear open to all the others, but kept his focus on the main screen. Bethany was also watching it too, but seemed to be off in her own little world.

_Whatever, just as long as she doesn't hurt Eva or sabotage this team_, Rick thought as the racers took off at the start.

He watched the Wei racer bypass the competition with ease. She was a natural at this, just like her mother. He'd always been amazed when watching Maya fly, and it was the same way with Eva. It was like the racer was a part of her.

The racer flipped over the Kaze ship, and they were coming up on a particularly sharp turn. Rick had flown the course before, and knew Eva's best bet would be to stay on the inside. The Wei racer took the lead position and was closing in on the turn.

A flash of movement out of the corner of his eye caused him to notice Bethany touching her forehead, a bit dazed. She looked up at the screen and cursed.

"Eva, stay on the outside in this turn."

"What?" Eva's startled expression filled the screen, and Rick shook his head.

"Why?" the young pilot asked.

"There's…a trap ahead. It's on the inside of the turn, so stay towards the outside," Bethany said. She looked worried and her hands were shaking a bit. Something wasn't right and Bethany was visibly upset. _She could just be a really good actress,_ Rick thought. _However…_

"Do what she says."

"Rick, what are you talking about?" Don protested.

"Let's just assume the worst and that there is a trap ahead. Eva, the corner!" The young woman looked up just in time and swung the racer far to the outside. The Kaze ship passed, but was quickly followed by a loud explosion and debris filled the screen. The surveillance room went silent as the dust cloud blocked the screen.

"There's been an explosion on the track!" the announcer cried. The stands were buzzing with anxious voices and a few spectators were pointing to the rising cloud.

The silence seemed to last forever in the Wei surveillance room before…

"I'm clear." They watched as the Wei racer broke free from the debris, followed by a few other ships. Don heaved a sigh of relief and fell back into a chair. Rick let loose the breath he'd been holding and glanced over at Bethany. She'd closed her eyes and was taking a deep breath. He watched as the debris finally settled, and was sickened at the sight of the huge black hole in the side of the Kaze racer. The camera stayed only long enough to catch sight of the paramedics before changing to another of Eva and the rest of the racers.

Eva and the Spartan ship were neck-and-neck. The Spartan ship slammed into Eva's, forcing her to the wall. She flipped, and floored the gas. The finish line was just ahead, but the Spartan's weren't giving up yet. They forced their speed until they were right on Eva's tail. They gave one final try to force her off the track by hitting the rear of the racer. But she swerved and pushed the racer over the finish line, with the Spartans following in second.

The surveillance room went to work immediately, assessing damage and talking to Eva. Don was quietly speaking to someone over the line, probably an official. Rick wanted to see how the young pilot was doing, but wanted to talk to someone else first. He turned and pulled Bethany towards the screens that were replaying the horrible explosion and Eva's escape.

"How did you know?" he asked. Bethany looked up at him, the conflict in her eyes going quiet. She turned towards the screens, fiddling with the dials until she glanced up at him.

"Watch." He looked to find the minutes before the turn. "The Spartan racer kept close to Eva from the time the race started until about thirty seconds before the turn. Then it suddenly drops back. That's when I figured something was up," she said. He watched as the racer kept nearly a constant pace with Eva before it suddenly slowed until it was far behind most of the competitors.

"I don't think so." She started.

"What do you mean? It's right here on the tape," she stated. He looked over at her, his face calm.

"I don't mean the evidence, I mean how you knew. You weren't really watching the race and then suddenly you were telling Eva to keep to the outside. That's what I don't buy," he told her. She watched him and then smiled.

"You can believe what you want, Rick, but that's what I saw. Now if you'll excuse me, I want to go see how Eva's doing before I have to go deal with official matters," she said and left the surveillance room.

He watched her go, but he still didn't buy it. There was something about Bethany, something she was keeping from them. He couldn't tell whether it was good or bad, but it was enough to keep him suspicious.

He went out to the garage, and watched as Eva and Don talked with Bethany looking on.

_What's she not telling us?_ he thought.

Author's Note: Thanks goes out to Star Fata, who's been reviewing. In answer to you question, if you're talking about Eva and Bethany, Bethany's going to be more of big sister to Eva. Thanks again.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Oban Star-Racers or any of the canon characters. I only claim Bethany.

While Eva was being checked by the paramedics and the racer was getting a look at by the mechanics, Don took the chance to slip out with Bethany and talk with the officials. They had been less than happy with the outcome of the race. Not that Wei racing was to blame for it, but they wanted their scapegoat.

"Have you heard about the condition of the pilot for the Kaze team?" Don glanced over his shoulder at Bethany.

"As of right now, he's in critical condition. The bomb on the track did more than just put a large hole in the side of the racer. It blew the engine clear off. That pilots lucky to be alive, considering his cockpit was smashed to pieces," he said. Bethany hung her head.

"Don, I-"

"I don't know how you knew the bomb was there, or even if you know if that bomb was for Eva. But I do know that I'm grateful that you helped save my daughter's life, and I thank you for that." She smiled.

"I will however, require-Oomph!" If Don was nothing, he was not graceful. He fell flat on his butt in a very ungentlemanly manner. He looked up to find an older graying man surrounded by bodyguards.

"Mr. President! What are you-"But the look on the president's face said it all. Don frowned. The last time he'd seen that look, they'd been sent off to Oban.

"May we speak in private, Don Wei?" the president asked.

"Well, what is it this time?" Don was less than pleased to come face-to-face with the president again. The last time they'd spoken, they'd parted on less than friendly terms.

"What I meant by 'private' was without your teammate, Wei," the older man said.

"Bethany is a valued member of the team and although she may be new, has already proven herself. She stays," Don stated and crossed his arms. The president huffed and leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees.

"We have another race on our hands-"

"Not interested."

"You haven't heard me out, yet."

"I don't need to. They last time you sent us to a race, I nearly lost my daughter and ended up losing my gunner. I will not let that happen again." Don stood up to leave.

"This is a matter of life and death."

"If I remember correctly, your military was more than capable of handling the Crogs while we were fighting for our lives on Oban."

"This time is different."

"How?" The president sighed.

"This race is said to be worth more than the race of Oban," he said.

"How so?"

"The Great Race of Oban is indeed important. It's there to choose the new Avatar and is held only every 10,000 years. This race is held every one hundred years, but is said to have higher stakes."

"And what are those stakes?" Don asked.

"It's said that the Grand Prize of this race is not awarded by the Avatar, but by beings much greater than the Avatar. They're rumored to be gods." Don's frown deepened.

"Do you actually expect me to believe all this? It's mysticism at best. I will not be pulled into this again. You're on your own," Don said, turning to leave.

"Everyone outside of this solar system knows that your daughter won the Great Race of Oban and that your daughter lives here on Earth. If someone with a grudge against her wins this race, who knows what could happen."

"Are you threatening me?" Don said. His hands bunched into fists at his side and he was starting to tremble. The president sat back in his chair.

"I'm doing what's best for the people of Earth. You have the best pilots and the best machines. Now go. The ship leaves in forty-eight hours," the president said and dismissed them.

"Sir, I'm not one to pry, but what is this Great Race that you were referring to back there?" They were headed back towards the garage, having decided to skip the race officials entirely. Don was only just beginning to calm down.

"It's not really important right now. What is important is getting all your stuff ready. We'll be leaving in forty-eight hours," he said. But Bethany wasn't buying that. She put herself right in Don's path and since she was nearly Rick's height, had a few good inches on him.

"Sir, I understand that you're upset right now, but I also believe that if I'm going to be of any help on this team, I should know all the details. Including the 'top-secret' kind." Don looked up into her face, sighed and walked around her. She followed, keeping close.

"Alright. You have a right to know. In all sincerity, the people of Earth have every right to know," he said, and told the tale of the Great Race. He told of how Eva had run away from her boarding school to find him, and when she did he hadn't recognized her. How they'd been drafted by the president on this arduous task of trying to win the Ultimate Prize. They had gone to Oban and Rick and their first star-racer had been sabotaged, and Eva as Molly, had become pilot. The qualifying rounds, the rounds on Oban, a reuniting that was less than stellar, and near loss of Eva to Kanaletto, as well as their gunner, Jordan, becoming Avatar.

When he'd finished, he felt out of breath and his legs were weary. The story had taken longer than expected and he didn't know how far they had walked. At the moment, they were standing outside the door to the Wei racing garage. Don looked up to find Bethany intently studying the wall. He didn't know whether she'd believe him or not, but at least it was now in the open.

"I see why you're so hesitant to go into another race, with the stakes nearly the same as before. However," she said, smiling, "now that you and Eva aren't hiding anything from each other, it might be just a little bit easier to communicate. As for myself, I'll be there. This is something that I really think the universe really wants us to do, Don. And when the universe talks, you need to listen." She walked inside, waving to some of the mechanics before heading upstairs to prepare for the trip.

Don shook his head and went to his office. He had to tell Eva and Rick about this, as well as prepare for the trip, and since he only had forty-eight hours to do it in, time was of the essence. He picked up the phone and dialed. There were a few people he felt would be very helpful on a trip like this…

Author's Note: I may change this chapter later on. I'm not sure I like the reason the president gave for them to do this race. It's not sitting with me entirely right, but I needed to pull this all together.

In reply to your review Star Fata, you never know in this day and age. And I completely understand. Now, in answer to the question, you're just going to have to keep reading to find out. MUWAHAHAHAHA! The one thing I will tell you is that I am trying my hardest not to make Bethany into a Mary Sue. That's why although she's been in all the chapters so far, nothing has been from her point of view or she hasn't been staring. I want Molly to still be the center of it all. This story needs to be about her and Bethany a supporting character. Feedback is always appreciated. Thanks for reviewing.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Oban Star-Racers or any of it's characters. I only claim Bethany and any other non-canon characters.

Eva plopped down in a chair with a sigh. They only had twelve hours left before they were set to leave and she was exhausted. She'd only managed to get three hours of sleep in the past thirty-six. Well, three and twenty minutes, if you count the catnap she'd managed to squeeze in between the engine cleaning and packing her room. Not to mention finishing school. Luckily, this race had come up near the end of her semester, but it was still murder trying to fit all of it in during the span of two days.

"Hey, Little Mouse." Eva looked up and smiled at Rick. He pulled out a chair and planted himself in it. He'd been busy too, what with gathering all the supplies they'd need. And trying to figure out which supplies were needed. Neither of them had had time to really even sit down. That's why they were taking the break.

"I don't know how much longer I can take Don's nagging. Every time I turn around, he's right there, insisting I've forgotten something. I think I've been fired three times in two days." Eva chuckled.

"Yes, I know what you mean. He's been up on me about packing and school and being ready in time. I'm surprised he hasn't had a heart attack yet, although I think his hair has gotten a little whiter." It was Rick's turn to chuckle.

"That wouldn't surprise me. By the way, I heard you and him talking about a new gunner and-"

"No." Rick watched her. "I told him I didn't want one. I can do this without a gunner, Rick. It'll just be a little more difficult," she said. Her face was drawn tight, as if she were fighting back bitter memories.

"Well then, I suppose we'll just have to make the hull of the Aries a lot stronger." They both looked to see Stan and Koji in the doorway, grinning.

"Oh wow, you guys!" Eva cried. She got up and ran over, giving them both hugs. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, why else would we be here?" Stan said.

"You're dad called us and asked that we come along, with the newest prototypes," Koji put in, adjusting the glasses on his nose.

"It seems like almost the entire original crew is back up and in working order. We'll win this race, for sure," Rick said. He patted both the mechanics on the back before leaving.

Eva couldn't believe her good fortune. She had her dad with her, and she wasn't someone else this time. Rick would be there to support her, and now she had Stan and Koji coming too. She'd also have Bethany, who she could at least relate to in the fact that they were both female.

"Guys, let's go. We need to get moving before my dad finds us and decides that we need to spit-shine the floors. I also want to introduce you to someone."


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Oban Star-Racers or any of its characters. I only claim Bethany and any non-canon characters of my own.

"Ugh," Eva moaned. Her head was pounding and her eyelids felt like fifty pound weights. This was the one part of the Great Race that she had not missed: The waking up in the space ship after the sudden black out.

"I know this is necessary, but can't they come up with something more, user-friendly?" It sounded like Stan, but Eva wasn't sure. She cracked an eye, though it took a lot of effort on her part. Managing that, she pulled herself up to her elbows and looked around. Everything looked in order, all bodies accounted for and moving. She pulled herself to her knees and thought back to the previous day.

After Stan and Koji had arrived, everything suddenly seemed five times more urgent to Don. He rattled off a list Eva was pretty sure he himself was not entirely clear of. She'd managed to at least introduce the mechanics to Bethany, but she was in such a hurry that all she'd been able to do was rattle off her name and then bolt for the door when Don called.

It had all gone too quickly for Eva, and before they knew it, they found themselves standing in the middle of the racetrack, loaded and ready to go.

"So, what exactly are we looking for?" Bethany asked. She was looking up at the sky, watching for the ship.

"I'm not exactly sure. Since the Avatar wasn't the one who invited us, I'm guessing we won't be expecting his ship," Don said. Eva cringed a little at the mention of the Avatar.

"It's probably something ridiculous, like what you see in the old movies. Those flying saucers," Stan said.

"Hard to say. All we know is that if it's not a plane or a helicopter, it's probably here for us," Koji said. Rick remained silent, watching as dawn approached. The colors were changing from purple to deep red when he first saw the thing.

"There," he said, pointing to the horizon. At first it was just a shiny blip, but as it approached, they could see that it looked almost like a fighter jet. It had a streamlined body made out of some metallic material, and moved at a great speed. It was also larger than they'd originally thought. Upon closer inspection, the ship would have had a hard time fitting comfortably into the stadium. It stopped overhead, hovering for a moment before opening two large cargo doors. The all-too familiar golden light enveloped them and they began to ascend.

"Oh, crap," was all Eva had been able to say before she'd blacked out.

"I mean, I did need sleep, but not like that," she muttered. She'd managed to get to her feet and stretched out her sore muscles. She looked around to see the others getting to their feet and stretching. All except for-

"OW!" Eva walked around the side of the truck and stopped dead in her tracks at the sight before her. The giggles started and she suddenly found herself doubled over, laughing.

"What's so funny?" Stan said. He was followed by Koji, Don and Rick. Eva managed to pull herself together enough to point at the woman.

Bethany had landed on her head and her feet were near her ears. In fact they were right next to her ears. Her legs had been thrown up over her shoulders and her arms were lying out behind her. Eva could hear Koji and Stan snickering and Don cleared his throat, several times, before he was able to speak.

"Do you think you've been like that since we left?" he asked, smiling.

"I don't know, but," she grunted as she pulled her legs back over and stretched out on the floor. "By the feel of it, yes."

Eva walked over and offered her hand. Bethany gave her a small smile before taking her hand and managed to get up. She winced as she stretched and yawned. "That hurt. If I don't turn into a hunchback, I'll be too surprised."

Don walked around the racers, checking what he could in the limited light. Bethany pulled herself into the cab of the truck, searching for…well, Eva wasn't sure. Stan and Koji were talking with Rick when the ship suddenly jerked.

"What just happened?" Stan asked.

"By the feel of it, I'd say we landed," Bethany replied as she flipped through papers. "Anyways, where are we? I'm checking the papers, but so far I can't find anything to indicate a name or even an area in which this place is located."

"We've landed on the planet Gawa. It's located in another galaxy, so we're a lot further from Earth than before," Don said. Eva heard Bethany groan and a snort escaped. _Thousands of light-years spent on your head does wonders for the back._

"Well gentlemen, we've done it before and we'll do it again. Only this time, we're the top contenders. But that doesn't mean we can relax. We'll probably come across some old enemies who I'm sure haven't quite forgotten the Oban race yet, so be careful," he said, looking at Eva. She flinched, knowing very well what he meant.

A hand ruffled her hair and she looked up at Rick.

"Don't worry, Little Mouse. You'll be fine. You've got all of us looking out for you," he told her and followed Don as the hatch to the door began to open.

Eva looked over at Bethany, who'd been strangely quiet the entire time. She was staring off at the door, but her eyes were glazed over, as if she were somewhere entirely different. But then she shook her head and smiled at Eva.

"He's right. We're all here for you," Bethany told her and walked over to the truck.

Eva smiled. It would be hard, but she'd been through it before. _The best thing about memory is recognizing a mistake when you make it again, _she thought.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Oban Star-Racers or any of the canon characters. Bethany is mine.

For Eva, it was like stepping back in time. The platforms were busy with activity, but instead of Scrubs running around, this time there were Gawains. They looked like walking raindrops and were tall. Really tall. They moved very slow but were extremely elegant. She'd only been there a few minutes but already she felt herself easing back into the swing of things, but this time with a few differences.

The trucks had somehow managed to get dinged on the trip, but were still running. Maneuvering through the crowds was difficult, what with Gawains having difficulty with speed. The buildings were made of what looked like glass and they sparkled in what Eva could only guess was the morning sun. If it was even a sun. She watched the people moving about in the buildings, only hoping that any 'private' rooms were made of something a bit less…transparent.

"A penny for your thoughts?" She turned to find Rick standing next to her, smiling. She smiled back and turned around, letting the breeze caress her face.

"Just admiring the scenery. You?" He leaned forward and put his arm on the sill. The breeze moved his hair, revealing more of his face. There was a small scar down the side of his cheek, just below his right ear. _That's new_, she thought.

"Planning ahead. Gotta make sure you're safe, not to mention fast on the track. Can't risk losing ya, little mouse," he said. The hair ruffling hadn't subsided even in the year since the Great Race. Eva reached up to smooth it back down when a movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She watched Bethany jog through the crowd, her ponytail flapping in the wind.

"What do you think?"

"Of what?" He cocked an eyebrow at her question.

"Bethany. Your feathers seem to get ruffled almost every time you're around her." The other eyebrow met the first. "I've been listening to my dad too much, sorry." He chuckled before turning his attention back out the window.

"She's not telling us something. I'm not sure what it is, but it just feels like she's not quite told us the whole truth. Anyways," he said, ruffling her hair some more, "you need to be focused on the race. Don't let my little irritation with B get you worried." Now it was her turn to lift an eyebrow.

"B?"

"It's easier than calling her Bethany all the time." Someone called him and he eased up, stretching. "Let me know if you need anything, little mouse."

"Thanks Rick." He saluted her and went to talk with Don. Eva closed her eyes, letting the fresh air and warm weather help her drift off to sleep.

"Hey. Hey, Eva." She woke to someone shaking her. Still groggy, it was hard opening her eyes, but she managed, only to find Stan and Koji looking down at her.

"Yeah?" she mumbled, stretching.

"We're here." Stan smiled as Koji pushed the glasses back up his nose. _Same old, same old._

"How long was I asleep?" she asked and looked out the window. As far as she could tell, it looked like they'd reached the stations where all the pilots were staying. The garages were piled one-on-top-of-the-other, six high in one long building. It too was made in the transparent material as the other buildings, but here there were lots of different kinds of aliens, though the Gawains were plentiful. Perhaps she would see one or two of her old friends from the race of Oban.

The truck cruised about a third of the way down before stopping on a hover platform. Two raindrops began humming and the platform lifted. It stopped at the fourth tier, where they then began unloading. Stan, Koji, Rick and Eva all worked to move the star racers from the truck as quickly as possible, with Don directing everyone to make sure they were organized and ready to go. It was hard, sweaty work, but Eva didn't mind too much.

They were waving and thanking the Gawains when Bethany came in. "Where did you come from?" Eva asked, surprised. Bethany looked up, startled.

"The back door," she said, pointing to a door at the back of the garage. Eva felt her face heat as she heard Stan and Koji snickering behind her. She hadn't even realized the woman hadn't been with them until just that moment. Luckily for her, Bethany just smiled before turning back to her papers.

"I got us registered and we're pretty much good to go, save for reading the rules," she told them. Pulling out an envelope, she broke the seal and pulled out a piece of paper.

"Why didn't you open those before?" Stan asked.

"They told me not to until I had everyone in the same room. Lady and gentlemen, the rules are… 'There are no rules.'" She turned the paper over, then back again. "I'm not impressed."

"What do you mean there are no rules?" Don demanded.

"Just what it says. Apparently, there are no rules to this race," she told him, handing over the paper. He turned it over just like she had.

"There must be some rules. Even the Great Race of Oban wouldn't allow for the killing of the other racers."

"It's not on that paper, and the officiate that gave me those told me they were the official rules, or lack thereof apparently."

"We can't race then. Go back and tell them-"

"No." All eyes turned to Eva.

"What? What do you mean 'no'? Eva, we must pull out of this race, otherwise-"

"Otherwise the Earth will still be in danger. It's got to be in danger, because we otherwise wouldn't be here. Dad, I know this doesn't look good, but we can still do this. It's just going to be a little…tougher this time around. Bethany, was there anything else?"

"No, that was it." Eva turned and walked up the stairs to the bunks. "I'm going to get washed and dressed. I have a feeling we don't have much time before the first race."

"Eva, think about what you're doing. We don't even have a gunner and it's too late now-"

"We need to do this, gunner or not. Dad, trust me. We can do this." She smiled down at her teammates before continuing up the stairs. Behind her, she heard her dad sigh, then switch to manager mode and start his tirade. Before long, the garage was filled with the usual hammers, drills and shouting.

_This is something we have to do._

Author's Note: Hey, it's been a while since I updated. Sorry about that. I just kind of lost my way with the OSR fandom for a while there. Not to mention that I never got to see the last three episodes of the series and Jetix has yet to run them.

Lot of love to my main reviewer, Star Fata, who is ever so faithful and I appreciate ever so much. I also appreciate Sekai Nerah, Crystal Persian, and airgirl555 for also reviewing. And no, I'm not going to reveal anything. You'll just have to wait. MUWAHAHAHAHA!!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Oban Star-Racers or any of the canon characters. Bethany is mine, however.

Before long, Eva found herself in the cockpit of the new Zodiac star racer at the starting line. Monitors were up in the cockpit, containing images of Don, Stan and Koji. They were still trying to adjust the racer, even now since they hadn't had much time beforehand.

"How does it feel?" Koji asked.

"There's still some jerking and the reaction time is still slow, but as long as I can remember that, I should be okay," she told them.

"What is with these people? They aren't even having an opening ceremony?" Don grumbled.

"There's not much we can do about it now, we'll just have to run with it," Eva said, and shifted the rocket seat again, testing the swivel.

A gong sounded and Eva looked up to find a very regal looking raindrop standing under a canopy, gesturing to the crowd.

"I, Mateso, welcome you all to Gawa! As you all know, there are no rules pertaining to this competition, so any means of racing are accepted. Now, as this race is based on a tight time schedule, let's begin the race!"

"Time schedule? What time schedule?" Don asked. Bethany's face appeared on the screen, serious.

"Yes, unfortunately. The entire race must be done within the span of two weeks." Eva gasped, and she could hear muttering in the control room.

"That's impossible!" Don yelled.

"It seems that way, considering that each new leg of the race is on a different planet. But there seems to only be a window of about two weeks in which the gods can cross over into this realm." The room was quiet for a moment, save for the beeping monitors and the crowd in the arena.

"And you didn't bother to tell us this information before WHY?"

"It slipped my mind. I was a little busy trying to help get Eva and the Zodiac up and going to mention it, sorry." Don plopped his head in his hand and moaned. Eva could see Stan and Koji trying hard not to laugh out loud and she could feel a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Regardless of what I may or may not have forgotten, we need to concentrate on the here and now, and worry about the future later," Bethany stated.

"She's right, despite how upset I am with her. Eva, just concentrate on the race for now and-"

WHONG! The other star ships pulled ahead, knocking Eva around like a pinball. It was all she could do to right the Zodiac before flooring it.

"What was that?!"

"The gong. I wasn't paying attention and they started the race without me. Koji, where am I?"

"Near the back of the pack. You still have a lot of ground to cover, so there's a good chance you can at least make up the ground you lost if not pull ahead," he told her.

"Good," she muttered, weaving past a particularly large cruiser. Its massive red hull suddenly swerved, causing Eva to down shift just missing wall and the cruiser.

"Hey watch it!"

"Remember, Eva. There are no rules in this race. Whatever happens, happens. Be vigilant," Bethany warned. The young pilot nodded, and pushed the Zodiac forward. She managed to get past a ship covered in spikes that took out a racer twice its size before she slowed.

"Crud."

"What is it?"

"Krogs." The control room was silent and she was conflicted. The Krogs had been sore losers and had regrouped and tried to attack Earth within three months of the Great Race. The army had managed to fight them back, but she was still pretty sure they were holding a grudge.

"What should I do?" she asked. The mechanics started clicking away, but it was Bethany who answered.

"For the moment, hang back. Should the Krogs make a move, that's when you pass them."

"How can you be sure?"

"They're Krogs. They're known for being dirty and in a race like this with no-holds-barge; they're bound to take any opportunity to crush the opposition, especially the Earth team."

"Alright then." So she waited. And waited. And waited. It felt like an eternity had passed as she continued to follow the Trident.

"Arrrgh! I'm tired of waiting. Aren't they going to do anything?"

"Watch the track." She gasped and swung. The track made a sudden ninety-degree turn and Eva just managed to catch it when the Trident suddenly halted. She leaned to the far right, scraping the wall of the track, cringing at the sounds of metal on rock. But she made out better than the Krogs. They got caught in the rock and were being passed by every other ship.

"How did you-"

"I'll tell you later. For now, make up your losses." Eva didn't need any more encouragement before she floored it. The finish line was just up ahead and although she wouldn't be first, or even in the top three for the matter, she was at least near the head of the pack now.

"How have I done?" she asked as she crossed the finish line.

"Pretty good. You came in ninth out of sixty-two racers. With each higher placement, you earn better points. That's how the winnings are totaled. You can even end up losing points if you're too far back." Koji answered. Eva smiled. The first race and she was already feeling more like a winner.

A flash of blue caught her attention as she headed back to the garage. A far too familiar shade of ice blue in the shape of a giant bug.

"Aikka?"

Author's Note: Dun dun dun!!! We have the introduction of Aikka! I've always like him, and figured it was a good time to introduce him. And two chapters in one night! I must not be feeling well. And I put in a steep time line. I do so love a good intrigue.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Oban Star-Racers or any of the canon characters. Bethany is mine, however.

The young Nourasian looked over just as the hatch to the Zodiac opened. She waved at him, managing somehow to set the ship down at the same time. She saw him land G'dar as she slide down the side of the ship.

"Molly?"

"Aikka!" She ran over and hugged the young prince, causing a faint blush to creep into his cheeks. Pulling back, she gave him her biggest smile. "It's so good to see you. How have you been?"

"Ummm, good. What about you, Molly?"

"Actually, it's Eva. Molly was just a cover." She felt him looking at her, noticing that she'd grown some in the year since they'd last seen each other. Looking at him, she found that he hadn't changed much since the last time she's seen him. His face seemed more weathered though. But it was still really good to see him. Really good.

She felt her own blush creeping up when she finally realized how close they were. She pulled away adjusting her clothes. It was amazing how fast one could suddenly feel self-conscious.

"I've been good. Listen, I have to go back to the hanger now, but maybe one of these days we can get together and catch up."

"Sure. Oh, Mol-I mean Eva. We're holding one of races on Nourasia. I'll finally be able to show you my home," he said.

"I'm looking forward to it," she told him, before heading back to the ship. Once safely inside, she let go of the breath she'd been holding and watched as G'dar and the prince moved on.

It was strange, having those feelings again. She hadn't felt like that since the Great Race of Oban. Not that it was an unwelcome feeling, but she still wasn't used to it.

The hanger was all a-buzz with activity, as pilots and mechanics busied themselves with repairs and reporters. Or at least, creatures that were doing things that she thought reporters might do. Eva shook her head and waited as the platform rose up to her team's personal hanger.

"I'm back!" she cried.

"Welcome!" Stan and Koji echoed.

"Good to see you back and in one piece, little mouse."

"Thanks Rick. Thanks guys."

"What took you so long?" Eva sighed. Her father would ask something like that. She turned to find him standing there, arms crossed and sour.

"I saw Aikka and-"

"The prince? Haven't seen him in quite a while. Wonder how he's doing?" Rick said.

"Yes the prince and he's doing fine. Anyways, I happened to see him, so I stopped and talked to him for a while. It's no big deal," Eva said.

"I don't have anything against Aikka, per say, but there are a lot of creatures here that were at the Great Race. They all probably still hold a certain amount of distaste for the Earth Team and you shouldn't be wandering around," Don told her.

"I hate to agree, but your father's right. Just look at what the Krogs tried to do," Bethany piped in.

"That reminds me. How did you know that the Krogs were going to do that?" Eva asked. Bethany looked around at all of them and sighed.

"I'm a telepath." The room was quiet, save for the sounds of the machines working.

"You're psychic?" Rick questioned. If his eyebrow were to rise any higher, it would disappear into his hair.

"Yes."

"Wait, wait, and wait. What, EXACTLY, is a telepath?" Don asked. Eva rolled her eyes. He'd really wanted to ask what a psychic was, but that would have proven that he didn't know everything.

"A telepath is a person who can either pick up information from the universe or from touching something or someone. I happen to be an open telepath."

"Meaning?"

"I pick up information from the universe, little tidbits, nothing major. It might seem like I can see into the future, but unfortunately, I don't have any precognitive abilities."

"But then how did you know what the Krogs were going to do?"

"I get signals like from a static radio. I can hear the conversations, but not really pick anything up. Sometimes a little piece will stick out from the static, or it will hit me all at once, which usually leaves me with one hell of a headache afterwards," she told them.

"So what exactly is a closed telepathic?" Eva asked.

"Someone who has to touch either an object or a person in order to pick up any messages. I don't know if they pick up the same static signal I do, but they work in generally the same way." Another silence stretched out before them.

"Okay."

"Eva!"

"What?"

"I can't believe that you actually believe this…hocus pocus." Bethany rolled her eyes at the mention of magic.

"Dad, we're thousands of light years from Earth, surrounded by aliens of unknown origin, flying in a race that will take us to a number of different planets, and you find it hard to believe that something like telepathy doesn't exist?" she asked.

"Well, maybe aliens that have telepathy, but definitely not humans," he said.

"If that's what you want to think, then go right ahead," Bethany told him. Don just huffed and went up the stairs towards the office. They watched him 'til the door closed behind him. Then the woman turned to the rest of them.

"And?"

"And what?"

"What do you think?" Koji rubbed his chin, but ended up shrugging.

"It's not very scientific, but there are lot's of things we can't explain in this universe. Most of the alien ships here are contradictions to what we've learned back home," he said. Bethany looked to Stan.

"Hey, I have absolutely no problem with it. It seems to have come in handy before and probably will again. Right now, Koji and I have to finish fixing the Zodiac." With that said, the two mechanics went back to work.

"And you, Rick?" she asked.

"Doesn't surprise me that much," he said. She looked stunned, then smirked.

"If that doesn't surprise you, this will." She pulled back the sleeve of her right arm to reveal…her right arm. Rick lifted an eyebrow.

"Just wait a minute." A moment passed before the arm shifted and began to change shape. Her hand disappeared into her arm, which consisted of a number of plates that were moving and shrinking. Before long, what looked to be a sword had replaced her hand and a portion of her arm.

"What, what just happened?" Eva asked. Stan and Koji had stopped their work when they heard the noise and were gaping at the newly renovated appendage.

"My right arm is mechanical. All the way up to my shoulder. My mechanic installed a sword, a gun, and a drill as well as the arm and hand. Comes in pretty handy sometimes," Bethany beamed.

"How, did you lose it?" Koji asked. The smile disappeared from Bethany's face, and the sword was replaced again by her hand.

"Shark attack when I was seven. Took most of my arm. The staff at the hospital removed the rest because they felt it wasn't necessary to have. I've gotten used to this one, but there are times when I wish I had my old one." She looked kind of sad, but it was hard for Eva to tell. If nothing else, she looked distant. A moment later, Bethany came to and smiled.

"But enough of that. We have things to do before we move on to the next race." She turned on her heal and left, following Don's invisible footsteps up the stairs to the office. The rest of the crew was still sitting there in shock, even after Don came back out with some papers.

"Did I miss something?"

Author's Note: HAHA!! I updated! Sorry that the Aikka scene was so short, but he'll have longer parts coming up. I'm going to try and update some more this weekend, but don't count on it. Thanks to kai crazy, Catgirl-of-Bavaria, and Sekai Nerah (you were very close with that one on Bethany, kudos!) for reviewing. I appreciate it a lot.

Let's see, anything else? Next couple of chapters is going to get really serious, because some life changing events will happen for our band of misfits. Thanks again, ta!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Oban Star-Racers or any of the canon characters. Bethany is mine, however.

Eva found that sleep was not coming as easily to her as she had hoped. After Bethany had revealed the truth about herself, she'd found it hard to concentrate on what her father had been trying to tell her. So many things had happened that day that she just couldn't keep focused. After about an hour of trying, Don Wei finally gave up and told her to go take a shower to try and relax.

Riiiiiiight.

Everything was clear glass, and although it was distorted, she could clearly see her next door neighbor doing something in his bathroom. Luckily, the steam from the shower helped cover most of that up, but only after a half-hour of panicking and trying to find a way to take the shower without anyone seeing, teammate or otherwise. Yes, even the doors on the showers were clear.

She'd picked at her food at dinner, and the table was rather quiet, with only Bethany and Don quietly going over papers and forms at the end of their table. Eva only wished she'd known why everyone had been so quiet, but hadn't wanted to press the issue. It could have been any number of reasons anyway.

It would have been great if she'd fallen asleep after going to bed early, but unfortunately sleep wouldn't come.

"And now it's nearing midnight. I think," she muttered and through her arm over her eyes, willing sleep to come and whisk her away-

_What was that? _She held still and listened again. _There._ It was just barely audible, but it sounded like boots on the floor. There was someone moving around in the hanger.

Really, it could have been any of the crew, but there was just something in the air that made Eva uneasy. She pulled her arm from her eyes and swung over and out of bed. Trying to be careful, she went over to the door and tried to peer through the distorted glass. The shape was fuzzy and unfamiliar, but that was probably caused in part by the door. Quietly, she opened the door and peeked her head out.

"Hello?" It was barely a whisper, but the figure must have heard because it immediately stopped and stared up at her. She was still having a hard time figuring out who it was.

"Eva, watch out!" She ducked just as another silhouette sailed over her head. She turned to find Bethany grasping the railing, trying to steady herself.

"You okay?" Bethany nodded.

"Yes, I'll be fine. They just woke me from a very deep sleep and I haven't quiet recovered." She ran past Eva and blocked the downward swing that was coming for her.

It was only then that she noticed Rick had the one in the hanger cornered and was keeping him agitated. Eva stepped forward to get a better look, grasping the railing. She looked over to find Bethany had knocked hers to the floor and was pinning him, though he appeared to be out. She went back to watching Rick's fight, where he had his opponent under his arm, holding him firmly there.

"Eva!" She didn't have time to turn. A moment later she felt a heavy weight throw itself on top of her, her head hit the platform, and she went out.

When she awoke, the first thing she noticed was her head hurting. Also, the lights were on making her head hurt more.

"Ouch," she said and moved to get up. Or at least, try to. There was a very large weight still on top of her, so she must not have been out for very long. It felt like a human, with what appeared to be an arm off to her right. She wiggled some more and managed to finally get herself out from underneath the massive weight. After checking for any more damage, she turned around to see what had landed on top of her.

"Bethany?" The mass of black hair was strewn everywhere, and her limbs were splayed out. But she wasn't moving.

"Bethany?" she asked, more urgently. With a little effort, she managed to get the woman flipped over. But it wasn't good. Her face was very pale and her breathing was labored. And she still wasn't moving.

"Bethany?"

Author's Note: Dun dun dun! Cliffhanger! These next two chapters are going to seem very Bethany-centric, but for one it's to help explain her character a little bit better and two, it's also going to round back to Eva. Something is about to change for our little pilot, something BIG!! Thanks!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or the series of Oban Star-Racers. Bethany is mine however.

The sound of beeping filled the hallway, and although the hallway was painted in a more earthy tone, it still felt like a hospital. Eva felt like kicking her legs out, but quelled it when what Eva suspected was a nurse walked by. Hospitals made her uneasy, and her whole body felt like it was going to leap up and take off.

They were waiting for news on Bethany, who was still in examination. After the attack at the garage, the authorities managed to take in two of the masked "men" into custody. The third, though managed to get a swing and a hit at Rick's arm, had been knocked unconscious when he was "accidentally" hurled into the wall. Luckily for Rick, he'd only needed a few stitched and some pain killers.

From what the "cops" if that's what they were, could pull together was that it had been a sabotage and assassination attempt. If they weren't successful in killing Eva in her sleep, then the bombs they hadn't planted around the garage would have finished the job.

Don miraculously managed to knock one out with that damn frying pan of his, but it was really by accident when he tripped over the edge of a rug, the pan went flying and hit the guy with enough force to knock him off his feet. Luckily, Don wasn't hurt but he was still shaken. The fact that assassins had come after his team, and more specifically his daughter, had made him restless.

Hence, the unmarred pacing that he was doing right now in front of Eva. And it was driving her mad.

"Dad, calm down. We'll here something soon," she told him, kicking a foot out. He just stepped around and sat down.

"It's just hard to sit here and not know what's going on. From what the emergency crew said, it didn't look good." With that, he stood up and started pacing again. Eva sighed and looked over at the others. Rick was a little bruised and a white bandage around his right bicep from where he'd been cut, but he was no worse-for-wear.

Stan and Koji were up against wall, being quiet. They seemed to be nervous too, but they'd managed to refrain from pacing.

"Molly!" Eva looked to find Aikka running towards her. She smiled and stood up, receiving him warmly when he opened his arms for a hug. They stood like that for a few minutes before Don finally cleared his throat.

"I heard what happened. I just wanted to make sure you were alright," he said, blushing a little.

"I'm fine. We're all okay except for Bethany. That's who we're waiting on right now." He gave her a strange look.

"Bethany?"

"Newest member of our team. She does all of our paperwork and the miscellaneous tasks that seem to pop up. She's still in examination," she said, pointing over shoulder. It was at that moment that the doctor chose to come out, another very large drop of water. Don quit his pacing and went straight over, followed closely by Rick, Eva, Aikka, Stan and Koji.

"So how is she?" Don asked.

"She's stable, but it's not good. The man who meant to attack your daughter got Bethany instead. He injected an extremely deadly poison straight into her spine. It's similar to what you Earthlings call nightshade, save for a few subtle differences. Anyway, her marrow has been flooded with the poison. Though how she's made it this far is a miracle."

"What are you talking about?" Don asked.

The doctor gave him a strange look. "You mean you don't know?" When no one responded, he sighed and turned back into the room, indicating that they were to follow.

The room was darker, with most of the glow coming from the monitors of the machines. For a fairly nature oriented people, they had a lot of advanced medical technology. There were some more Gawain doctors situated behind a glass barrier and nodded to the one that headed their group before turning back to the table on which Bethany had been positioned. Her eyes were closed but strained and she looked like she was sweating. The machines x-rayed her limbs, continuously moving back and forth over her body. The head doctor waved his hand and the machines stopped and were lifted. They came right up on her as the machines were fully lifted away.

"Oh God," Eva gasped.

"What happened? She couldn't have gotten these from the one attack," Don asked. He was just as much in shock as the rest of them.

"No. From what we can tell, these are much too old. Don't know how she got them," the doctor said.

Bethany was covered in scars. Head-to-toe in scars that ranged in a number of patterns. Her face, arms, legs, torso were nothing but scars. But the biggest one was the word WHORE that had been carved into her stomach. It was jagged and bold, standing out like raised letters on a plaque.

"This is the least of our worries. The plant, Comflax, seeps into the bloodstream and can do serious harm to the organs. Her limbs are useless, thanks to the fact that it was injected straight into the bones. But it seems to be reacting with her brain. It's something new I've never seen before with patients."

"What do you mean?" Eva asked.

"I don't know what it is, but her brain activity is working like if she were asleep. She's dreaming or reliving memories. But they aren't good ones. Her memories are triggering old injuries to flare up and-"

Bethany jerked and coughed, blood flying. The doctor tsked and took a cloth, wiping her mouth.

"That's what happens. She's bleeding from the inside out." He shook his head and walked over to one of the monitors.

"What's going to happen to her?" Koji asked. Stan looked very grave but kept silent.

"Imminent death, if she's lucky. At worst, days, even months of agonizing pain, waiting for death," the doctor said. Eva took a step forward, her eyes never leaving the motionless woman.

"What can you do?" she asked.

"Make her as comfortable as possible. There is no cure and since her case is so unusual, we have even less to work with than usual."

"We…we have to do something." She spun around. "Dad, there's got to be something we can do."

"Like what, Eva? We're not doctors and we know nothing about this poison, and only so much about Bethany herself. It's like the doctor said, we'll just have to try and keep her comfortable. But we can't stay. We need to get back to the garage. We leave the day after tomorrow."

"That's it? You're just going to give up on her. That's not fair! That's not right! We need to find another way! Try another approach!" She turned back around, reaching out for Bethany's hand.

"She's our teammate. We have to-"And everything went black.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own Oban Star-Racers or any of its canon characters. Bethany is mine.

Eva shifted and noticed that her limbs felt very heavy. Like they were loaded with water. Her head also felt heavy and foggy.

_What happened,_ she thought. _I was in the hospital, trying to get my dad to change his mind, and I reached for Bethany's hand, and then…_

She attempted to open her eyes, but even a crack resulted in their immediate closing. Her head was beginning to ache.

_Oh great, a headache,_ she thought. She tried opening them again and managed to get them about halfway open. Where ever she was, it was dark and warm. It reminded her of floating in a warm bath. But it wasn't friendly. She shivered despite the warmth.

"Hello?" she tried. It echoed in the blackness before something cut into her back. She cried out in pain and tried to get away from it, but only succeeded in moving about three inches away.

"What was that?" she yelled.

"Eva?" The girl looked up to find Bethany staring at her. Or at least, it looked like Bethany. But all the cuts and wounds were fresh and bleeding. She looked like some sort of sick joke on Halloween. The blade bit into her back again and she felt the tears welling up in her eyes.

"Careful. Don't move too much. They won't kill you, but it will hurt like an SOB," Bethany said, smoothing the hair out of Eva's face. A smear of blood marred her face, she could feel it.

"What, what was that?" she gasped. Bethany sighed and looked around her. For the first time, Eva noticed there were images dancing all around them. But she couldn't quite make out what they were about. Several of the same people popped up a number of times, but Eva had no idea who they were.

"That was a memory."

"My memory?"

"No, mine."

"What are you talking about?" Bethany watched as a particularly large image drifted by, with a man holding a knife about to strike. His arm came down out of the image, taking a large chunk of Bethany's arm with it. She simply turned away as the wound began to bleed, mingling with the rest of them.

"What's going on? What was that? WHO was that?!" Eva cried.

"That was my father. And that was a memory from a time when he took a knife to my arm for my poor conduct. It was his way of punishing me, which he was particularly fond of. So was my younger brother," she said.

"So these," Eva said, motioning to the images, "are your memories?" Bethany nodded.

"They've always been violent, but I haven't had this sort of problem before. Not to mention the fact that you're here as well. I suppose when I passed out, my guard was let down, and I've been an open door for someone to come through. I guess you were the other open channel," she muttered.

"What?"

"It's not important. What's important is to get you out before they start coming after you again, though I can't understand how they're doing this in the first place."

"It's probably got to do with the poison." Now it was Bethany's turn to look confused. "The guys who attacked the garage, one of them managed to poison you. It seems to be reacting with your telepathy, as far as I can figure. That's probably what caused your memories to suddenly 'come alive' and begin to attack your body."

"Nice deduction, Sherlock." Eva lifted an eyebrow, but said nothing. She heaved herself up, cringing as the pain shot through her back. The images seemed to whirl faster as Eva looked around her.

"Come on," she said, holding out her hand, "I'm getting out of here, and you're coming with me." Bethany looked at it, but made no move to get up.

"I can't."

"What? Why?"

"Because, they have me. I'm stuck here." Not for the first time, it was only now that Eva noticed the hands the grabbed at the woman's body. One was even wrapped around her waist, hugging her tightly.

"Listen, Bethany, you have to come back."

"I don't HAVE to do anything. This isn't the first time I've met death, but it will probably be my final. You need to get out of here. Just, think about your body and where it would be right now. That will at least establish the line between here and the real world. Then, pull on that line with all your might that will take you back." The arm around her waist pulled, sliding her back. Eva grabbed her arm.

"Not without you. We need you, Bethany, believe it or not. Please, come back with me," Eva pleaded.

"I can't."

"Yes, you can. Please, I already lost one member of my team. I don't want to lose another." The tears that had threatened to spill over did so at that moment. Her heart was breaking all over again; for all that she'd lost over the years. When she lost her mother, her father had left her behind, she'd learned about the truth behind the Ultimate Prize and Jordan had stayed behind to become the new Avatar.

Something in her face must have reached Bethany because she tried to pull herself up. But the hands pulled her back harder, digging into her already bleeding flesh.

"But, the poison…"

"You can beat it. Come with me. Remember, you have friends back there who want to see you again, alive and well. Fight them," she said.

"Eva."

"Come on," she said, and tugged on Bethany's arm. The arms only pulled back, insistent. Bethany reached down and began to pry off the arm. Her arms were noticeably weak, but she managed to get it from around her waist.

The second it was clear of her body, Eva yanked as hard as she could on her arm, and she suddenly felt like she'd been hurled through a dark tunnel.

"Eva? Eva? Can you hear me?"

"Yessss," she moaned. She breathed in, the scent of sterile hospital greeting her. Her head was aching again. She slowly opened her eyes, to find her dad and her friends looking at her with concern.

"What?"

"You passed out when you touched Bethany's hand. We couldn't wake you up," Don said, testing her forehead. She swatted his hand away and went to stand up. A hand was laid on the top of her head and she looked up to find Bethany smiling weakly at her.

"Thanks, for not giving up on me."

Author's Note: Oh, that last part was so sappy. I may change it later. Things are going to start getting a little more exciting. Traveling to Bethany's subconscious will cause a change in Eva. And more Aikka goodness. Awww, he was concerned for Eva's safety. You gotta love that he's such a nice guy.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own Oban Star-Racers or any of the canon characters. Bethany is mine.

Eva was awake, staring at the ceiling. She hadn't been able to sleep much the night before even with Bethany returning to the garage. Somehow they'd managed to get the nursing staff to believe that the woman was fine and they let her go, but not without a lot of paperwork and road bumps out of the hospital. Unfortunately, they'd had to pack up all their stuff because they'd had to planet hop once again.

The pilot lifted her hand so that her view was of the back of her palm. She blushed at the memory.

_They'd been in a hurry. Don and Rick had planted themselves right beside Bethany since she seemed to be having a hard time staying up on her own. Eva was meandering towards the exit, trying to put as much distance between her and the doctors as quickly as possible. Bethany was not the only test subject they were interested in._

_"Molly!" Eva turned to find Aikka running to her. He stopped just short which caused her heart to flutter. Why was it that every time she came into contact with him she got flustered anymore?_

_"Eva."_

_"What?"_

_"My real name is Eva. You can stop calling me Molly," she told him._

_"Oh of course, you've told me before. My apologies. Anyways, I was hoping that we would get the chance to talk while we were here but it seems we missed the opportunity," he said._

_"Yes, we seem to have that problem."_

_"I don't know if you realized, but part of the race is taking place on Nourasia. While we are there, I hope you will let me give you a tour of my home. I did make you that promise, after all," he said and bowed. Eva felt a blush creeping into her cheeks and shook her head._

_"No, that would be great. I'm looking forward to it. I have a lot of things I need to tell you about, so I hope we can get together soon." He smiled warmly at her, which forced Eva to stare at her shoes._

_"Prince Aikka!" The prince looked towards the door, nodded and bowed. _

_"Until then," he said. _

_"Thank-" but Eva was cut off by the soft kiss Aikka planted on the back of her hand._

That blush was making an unwelcome comeback. She rubbed her hands up and down her face in an effort to try and fight it off. _Come on, Eva, this isn't like you. You're a star-racer pilot, one of the best on Earth and you let a little kiss throw you off?_

_But he is a handsome prince._

Eva lightly slapped herself. She needed to straighten up, fly straight, a-what?

Wait, no she wanted to beat the living crap out of the people who nearly killed everyone. No, that wasn't right either.

She was worried that the star-racers wouldn't hold up well under the stress of the constant moving. Well, she kind of was, but that really wasn't her main concern.

Her neck was unbearably stiff, no matter how much she moved it. Nope, not right either.

_What the hell?_ she thought and threw the blankets from her legs. They were all sharing a bedroom at this time, which wasn't really that bad except for the snoring. That was another reason she'd had such a hard time sleeping.

The door slid open with a hiss before closing softly behind her. She could see everyone downstairs around a table in the middle of the garage. Don was leaned over the table, talking passionately about something because he kept waving his arms a lot. Stan and Koji were sitting quietly, as were Bethany and Rick, all of whom were watching this spectacular show. Every now and then, Eva could see the older woman shift and rotate her neck, touching the spot where the needle had gotten her.

God the pain that came with it. Eva found that she too was reaching up to rub the sore spot on the back of her neck. She quickly brought her hand back down and went down stairs.

"I want to know who!" Don cried, slamming his fist into the table.

"Look we all want to know who, Don, but we're no closer to solving that problem now than we were ten hours ago. We know they were assassins, so someone had to pay them. My guess is still that it's one of the other racing teams," Rick said. Eva sighed. Her father could be really trying sometimes. But that wasn't her.

"Eva! You're finally awake. I hope we didn't wake you," Bethany said. The pain was back. It was going to drive her absolutely mad!

"B, take some pain killers will you," Eva said.

"Excuse me?" All eyes were on her now.

"I said, take some pain killers. You're obviously in a lot of pain."

"No not really." A sudden flash of it went straight down Eva's spine.

"Then what do you call that?!"

"What? What are you talking about Eva?"

"The pain! That spell that just went straight down your spine!" Everyone was confused and Stan and Koji were whispering between each other. But Bethany just narrowed her eyes.

"How did you know about that?" she asked. Eva felt her face heating up but she couldn't figure out why. She suddenly felt panicked and it wasn't hers.

"I-I felt it. Just now."

"How could you feel it? It's my pain."

"I don't know! But I'm also suddenly feeling very upset and I know that it's not me."

"How is it not you?"

"IT JUST ISN'T!"

"Eva!"

"I can't help it Dad! I'm just frustrated. That's me, not this panicky feeling," she said. Bethany stared at her for a moment longer before putting her head in her hand. The panicky feeling died and was replaced by a sense of foreboding.

"I think I know what it is," Bethany said. She pulled her feet down from the chair she'd had them rested on and took Eva's hands. Closing her eyes, she sat quietly as if waiting for something. A moment later, she opened them and sighed.

"Just as I thought," she said, putting her feet back up.

"What?"

"You're an empath." Eva just stared and blinked. At the moment, all that consumed her was confusion and that was all hers.

"What the hell's an empath?" Don asked.

"Do you remember I told you that I'm a telepath? I can read thoughts and receive messages from the universe and they all come in the form of energy. Well, Eva has a similar ability, only this one enables her to feel what others are feeling," Bethany said. Eva suddenly felt numb.

"I don't want it," she stated.

"I'm afraid that's not a choice. It's yours."

"I'm sixteen years old. I can't even figure out my own feelings and now I'm going to get bombarded with everyone else's too?"

"Looks like it." Bethany did not seem to care in the least bit and it was pissing Eva off.

"How?"

"In all honesty, it was something that was a part of you for a long time. It is for psychics, it's just dormant. What needs to happen is you need to experience an extremely physical or emotional attack. It 'awakens' your ability from its dormant state. Since you didn't experience a physical attack, I can only understand that it must have been emotional."

"When she passed out." Everyone turned to Stan.

"At the hospital yesterday, she passed out when she touched your hand. They rest of us touched you, but nothing happened. Then you both woke up. At least that's the only thing I can think of."

"That would make sense. I remember, you came into my mind. The plant was causing my body to remember all the horrors and atrocities I had experienced during my lifetime. With you it was new, so it affected you differently. That's probably what caused your empath abilities to awaken," she said. Eva could only stare. She was completely and utterly lost. She opened her mouth to speak but a bell suddenly went off.

Don quickly strode over to Eva and guided her back up the stairs.

"I know it's all confusing, but we have to finish this after the race. Get dressed. You need to be at the starting line in half-an-hour."

Author's Note: Dun dun dun dun dun dun!! Eva has her own psychic abilities. Who would've known? I also finished another chapter. Scary. I hope the story's not too boring. I'm going to have a lot of fun with Eva now. Just imagine. Being sixteen and not only having to sort out your own frazzled emotions, but also having to deal with those coming in from the people around you. Truly, the race has begun!


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own Oban Star-Racers or any of the canon characters. Bethany is mine.

Eva felt very restless as she adjusted the controls. She really didn't like that she could experience other people's emotions, not to mention having to try and fly a star racer in a race that could possibly bring about the end of the world. Emotions from all angles bombarded her and she was practically jumping out of her skin it was so annoying.

"Calm down, Eva. Concentrate on the race, that's the most important thing right now," Don told her. She nodded, but it didn't stop the barrage. It was taking a lot of her willpower just to keep her hands steady and her face from twitching.

"Eva." She nearly came out of her skin when Bethany called her.

"What?" she snapped and then immediately regretted it. It wasn't Bethany's fault that Eva had this power, but it still didn't help that she been constantly getting tips from her every five minutes for the past thirty or so.

"Don't focus on everyone else's emotions. You'll need to let them bounce off of you. Try to put up some sort of mental wall. It'll be hard to say the least, but Don's right. You need to focus on the race," Bethany said. Her face was completely calm, as if she wasn't also experiencing something much like it.

"Easy for you to say," Eva muttered. She ran the final tests on the controls, all the while forcing her face to remain as still as possible while emotions tumbled through her. _My sanity is in jeopardy here. Someone, HELP ME!_

"All contestants get ready! We're about to begin!" Eva took a deep breath and steadied herself. A sudden surge of pride nearly knocked her off her seat and she almost missed the buzzer. Revving the engine she took off. _So much for a mental wall._

Anger and pride swelled within her and for a moment she blacked out. Her hand instinctively pushed the gas and the star racer pulled ahead. _Thanks to muscle memory, but this is too dangerous. I can't keep this up._

Don, Bethany and Rick didn't say anything, although they were all worried about Eva. Rick glanced at Bethany out of the corner of his eye. She was as steady as a rock. A large wind couldn't push her over. He'd have tried if a sudden movement on screen hadn't caught his attention.

Eva surged ahead, but she was bumping into other racers and had nearly missed tumbling into the walls. The monitor for her heart was racing and the screen that held her face showed that she was having a hard time controlling…everything.

Another movement from his left this time showed Bethany had closed her eyes and seemed to be in a trance. On screen, Eva suddenly perked up and quickly swerved out of the way of an oncoming crash. Rick couldn't tell, but it seemed to him that Bethany was somehow helping Eva with her racing. _What exactly is she doing?_ he thought.

Back on the track, Eva was wondering something along those lines, but at that moment her clear head told her to rocket past the Langlian star craft, so that she was amongst the top twenty. Unfortunately, even that didn't prepare her for the vertical drop that seemed to appear out of nowhere. She felt her star racer falling, but was luckily prepared for such an emergency. She increased the thrust of her boosters, slowing her descent. As she got closer to the ground, she evened out the racer to follow the track and was able to stay on course. All that time on Oban had come in handy.

Unfortunately for some of her competitors, they had not had such luck. She could hear several loud _bangs_ and _crunches_ behind her. Eva unconsciously cringed at the sounds but kept going.

She noticed Aikka was ahead of her by about six or seven spots, but as much as she would have loved to race him, her fuel cells wouldn't allow it. There was just enough to keep her at her place until the end of the race.

The Earth team crossed the finish line in nineteenth place, since one of Eva's neighbors had "missed" the drop. As she headed back to the hanger, she passed Aikka and Gadar. He gave her a charming smile and she smiled back, feeling the blush rising in her cheeks.

"All that time on Oban paid off," she said.

"Yes. It was fortunate that we've had experiences with sudden drops. I wouldn't want to lose too many worthy opponents just yet," he replied.

"How many do you think we lost back there?"

"Hard to say. I lost count after eight." They laughed at that one, Eva enjoying the quiet moment with her friend.

"Listen Aikka, I was wondering-" _Eva, quit flirting. I'm getting a headache._ That sudden thought knocked her clear off her seat. She must have looked stunned, because when Aikka peeked over at her he looked concerned.

"Are you alright?" he asked. He looked like he would come in to check on her but she waved him off.

"Oh, it's nothing. I thought there was something flying around my face and it shocked me is all." He lifted an eyebrow. "It was a really BIG bug, not unlike Gadar." He sighed, but didn't ask. He helped her up before sitting back on his seat.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah. I'll tell you about it later."

"Okay. Goodbye Molly."

"Bye Aikka." She watched him go only for a moment. She didn't want to get knocked over again.

When she got back to the hanger, a very peeved Don Wei was tapping his foot. It was never good when he tapped his foot.

"Where have you been?" he demanded.

"Look, I was just talking to Aikka."

"You do not need to be canoodling with opponents, young lady. Do I make myself clear?" This time Eva thought her whole body had turned red, and Rick, Stan and Koji just made it worse by snickering.

"I was not canoodling, we were just talking! Can't I talk to my friends?" she yelled.

"Eva, it's not that," a soothing voice said. The young girl looked over to see Bethany walking towards her, beads of sweat all over her forehead. "But we didn't realize until the race just how little control you have over your psychic powers." With that, she let out a big breath she seemed to be holding.

All the emotions in the room nearly knocked Eva off her feet. She hadn't realized until then that she hadn't been able to feel anything except her own emotions. _I'm going to have a bruised butt if this keeps up._

"I provided a mental wall, to help keep out everyone else's feelings while you were on the track, but I can't do that all the time. It leaves my own mind open to attack. We need to work on you building and maintaining your own. We'll start after you've had a shower," Bethany told her. Eva would've objected if something in Bethany's eyes hadn't kept her mouth shut. She wouldn't have been half surprised if Bethany had actually mentally kept her mouth shut.

Defeated, she marched up the stairs to her room. _Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like this?_

Author's Note: Ho ho! An actual chapter, although I still can't write races. Gonna have to go back and watch OSR again. Oh, how terrible would that be? Not. Anyway, I want to thank those of you who are still following the story, even if I never update it. I'm really going to try and be better about that. I'd like to finish at least one fanfiction. Let me know what you think. Do you like the story? What about the characters? Hopefully, I can put a little more Aikka in it, even though I say that every time. Thanks again!


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own Oban or any of its characters. Bethany is mine and if you steal her, I will sic Mion on your ass!

Eva was perched on the edge of the catwalk above the hanger. It was still fairly early in the morning as she watched Rick, Stan and Koji work on the Zodiac star racer. They'd made it to Nourasia two days after the "empathy" incident and Eva had instantly liked it the minute she'd left the ship.

The capital of Bedwon was a buzzing metropolis, but not like the ones back on Earth. It consisted of huge white buildings that seemed to touch the sky but was seamless and appeared to be made of a polished gem. The walkways intersected with clear streams that seemed to house miniature ecosystems. They weren't very deep but the water was like a blue topaz it was so clear. The Nourasians rode giant bugs everywhere but some were large enough to be compared to buses and others were carrying people like they were private cars. The Nourasians themselves were a kind and impeccably dressed people, using honorifics with nearly everyone they met. Eva had been greeted so politely that she'd bowed on instinct, of which the Nourasians corrected her, saying it wasn't necessary. _Maybe not, but I couldn't help it._

The garage where they would be staying wasn't too far from the ship port but even that was a gleaming white dome against a majestic backdrop. There were mountains off in the distance that reminded Eva of sleeping old men. She could just imagine the waterfalls and mountain breeze that had to be there.

She sighed. The girl wasn't usually one to focus so much peace, but after having to deal with her new found powers as an empath, she needed some quiet to refocus her mind.

Not that Bethany hadn't been helping her. In fact, she'd been a great help. At first, Eva had struggled with the meditation that was required to get her mind focused. All she wanted to do was block out the emotions that weren't hers. But Bethany had scolded her and told her that there were no quick fixes in life and that it had taken her a long time to make a decent mental barrier too.

By the end of the session, she'd at least managed to construct a wall, though it was weak at best. But B was satisfied with that and had sent her off to bed. No sooner had her head hit the pillow Eva was out. The next morning had dawned bright, but for once, she felt pretty good. It had been days since she'd gotten a good night sleep and it felt wonderful. But no sooner did she walk out her door than the emotions charged her and she had to put up her barrier.

"You okay?" Eva looked up into her dad's concerned eyes. He wasn't usually this soft, but she could tell he was concerned about her health. And it wasn't just her empathic abilities telling her this.

"Yeah dad, I'm fine. I actually feel better than I have all week."

"Glad to hear it." He leaned against the railings, watching his crew work below. The silence was companionable and Eva leaned against her dad's legs. It was times like this she was glad he was there, being that rock for her to lean on. But it was also times like this that she missed her mom too. She still wished they could be a family and had asked Bethany about it the night before.

But the woman just shook her head. "I'm afraid Satis was right, Eva. Humans should not go meddling in the world of the dead."

"But you mentioned that you died before."

"That was a fluke. Truly, I should have stayed dead. And your mom has been gone too long anyways. She isn't even a visiting spirit."

"I thought you couldn't talk to the dead," Eva choked, her old disappointment coming back.

"Only occasionally, and only when they really want to talk and there isn't a medium around to contact. But I can tell you this. Your mom has moved on and that's a good thing. Lingering ghosts are never good."

She'd ended the session there but Eva had crawled into bed with tears in her eyes. She was still new to this psychic thing and having a new ability had filled her with hope.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Don interrupted.

"I was thinking about mom."

"I miss her."

"I do too. I even talked to Bethany about it."

"What did she say?" Eva could hear the tiny whisper of hope in his voice. She shook her head.

"She's passed on." The letdown seemed to sink down to his toes but she hugged his leg, trying to reassure him. "B said that's a good thing, and I believe her, though it doesn't make it any easier to accept. The best we can do dad, is be there for each other." Don put his hand on her head and smiled down at her.

"It's probably what Maya would have wanted," he told her.

She smiled and went back to watching the work on the racer but it wasn't too long before something outside of the hanger caught her eye. Her first instinct was to immediately go down and see who it was, but instead she reached out with her mind and "felt" for the person. Bethany had told her to test her ability whenever she felt she could safely handle it. The emotions didn't bombard her; rather they steadily came to her in the forms of pride, wellness and…a touch of apprehension?

"Hello, is Eva here?" a voice asked and she immediately knew who it was. Eva untangled herself from her father and raced downstairs. The poor recipient of her tackle was none other than Aikka, who just barely managed to stay on his feet.

"Well it's good to see you too, Eva," he said, hugging back. She hung on for another moment, taking in that peace and steadiness that seemed to surround him. Stepping back, she smiled at him and felt her spirits lift, already knowing what he had in mind.

"What brings you here, Prince?" she asked sweetly. The nobility that he was so adamant about returned to him. He straightened and bowed.

"I have come to request your time to take you on a tour on my homeworld of Nourasia," he said. Eva turned to Don who was just descending the staircase.

"May I go dad?" she asked.

"I don't know…"

"Come on Don, a little fresh air and some exploring might do her some good. She's been cooped up in hangers for too long," Rick piped in. He hurled a broken piece of equipment across the room where it landed in an old oil drum. Don glared at him but turned it on the prince.

"I'll allow it, but you'd better be careful," he warned.

"Thanks dad!" she said and scurried out to G'dar. Aikka bowed again before following.

"I don't trust that prince."

"You don't trust any boy with your daughter," Rick smirked.

Eva was more than just a little happy to be out of that hanger. She was elated. The cool afternoon breeze ruffled her hair as she hung onto Aikka's waist. He was taking her around the city, to show her what life was like on Nourasia. For her, just riding on G'dar was enough.

They landed near what looked like a park and Aikka told his mount to stay put. Eva was bubbling over with excitement, some of it due to the energy flowing through the people.

"You have no idea how much this means to me," she told him.

"I just might. But come, there's still more to see." They entered the park which was open, meaning it had no gates or fences sealing it in. The people meandered about, some having picnics while children ran by in a game of tag. Eva breathed in the air and the energy, feeling invigorated. The feelings of these people were a welcome change.

They followed one of the streams to a bazaar, where numerous aliens from different cultures were selling goods. Smells wafted to Eva's nose and her stomach growled in response. Embarrassment colored her cheeks, but Aikka simply smiled.

"Let's get something to eat." He walked over to a nearby food stand, where an alien resembling something of an octopus was cooking on a hot griddle. Aikka held up two fingers and the creature set to work. Just watching him cook was an amazing feat, since he did about six different things at once. Some of the passersby even stopped to watch him. The food was done in almost no time at all, resembling something like meatballs though they were made of some sort of paste instead. Aikka handed one over before digging into his own.

"What is it?" she asked tentatively. The girl had every right to be suspicious considering some of the alien foods they'd been eating. Bethany had taken charge of the cooking and while she was pretty good at it, the ingredients left something to be desired. There were some nights Eva had to close her eyes and imagine she was eating fish or something like that, even though she didn't like fish to begin with.

"It's something of dough like concoction with meat in the middle. It's called barachi and it's quite tasty," he said as he popped another one in his mouth. Eva envied him that he could even make something like eating bazaar food look elegant. She took the chance and popped her own into her mouth. But she was pleasantly surprised to find that it tasted good and in no time had polished it off.

They continued around for a while before coming upon some games. A few of them looked familiar, like something her friend Chisame had told her about. Chisame was Japanese and had invited Eva over to her house a number of times to look at pictures of Japan. She'd been fascinated by all the different places and things she'd seen in those pictures and had every desire to go there one day.

"In fact, this place reminds me a bit of those pictures," Eva muttered.

"Pardon?"

"Oh, it's nothing. What's this game?" They walked over to a booth that had tiers and stands set up containing different sized rings. There was even one that looked to have a large needle stuck into it. She looked down to see bows set up on the ledge.

"A shooting game?"

"Yes. The more difficult the ring, the bigger the prize. The shooter has to get the arrow right in the middle of the ring," Aikka explained. Eva studied the bows, curious. "Would you like to give it a try?" he asked.

"I guess, though I'm pretty sure I won't be any good," she said, picking up a bow. Aikka handed the male cat creature a coin who set down three arrows before moving quickly out of the way.

She'd only tried archery once before and it had been back at the Stern Boarding School. The one time she'd tried it, by some weird amount of luck she managed to break a window, hit the very outer ring of the target and pin the toupee of her teacher to a tree. All of it had been by accident but the teachers had banned her from ever doing archery again.

Eva managed to string the arrow and pulled it back. Not really aiming, she remembered just before releasing it to pull back her arm holding the bow so as not to get hit by the string. The arrow missed every target and lodged itself into one of the upper levels. Dejected, she hung her head. _This is sooooo embarrassing._

When she pulled her head up, Aikka was handing another of her arrows.

"Try again." Rather than argue, she knocked the arrow to the string and pulled it back, bending her other arm. Aikka's hands came up behind her and covered hers. Her face was probably beet red but she just stood stock still.

"Keep your back straight and remember that arrows arch so aim just a little above the target," he instructed. He was so close Eva could feel his heat through her clothes. Something told her that she should enjoy this but kept her mental barrier up. She didn't want their day to become awkward because she went peeking around in someone's feelings.

The bow adjusted in her hands and when it felt right, she let it fly. It flew straight through one of the larger targets and the pilot felt very pleased with herself. The cat man handed her a small box, about the size of her hand.

"Be careful when you open it," he warned before stepping back. She gave him a quizzical look but just shook her head.

"Thanks. I've never been very good at this sort of thing," she told the prince.

"You couldn't have been that bad," Aikka said.

"I was banned from ever doing it at school again," she said and he had the good sense to keep quiet, though the cat coughed behind his hand. Eva looked back to the targets and got an idea in her head. She smirked, glancing out of the corner of her eye at the prince.

"Bet you can't hit that one," she challenged. The target she pointed to was the large needle, or at least the ring couldn't have been any bigger than the eye of a needle.

He smirked in return. "I'll take that challenge," he said, taking the bow. He knocked the arrow and pulled the string back in one fluid movement. The prince took a moment to take his aim before letting the arrow fly.

Eva smiled. The poor cat creature, however, fainted.

"He'd apparently never expected anyone to actually get that ring," Eva said as they left the bazaar.

"Yes, but I never thought he'd faint. And he was very reluctant to part with this," Aikka said, referring to the object in his hand. It was a necklace and a fine one at that, a large red gemstone in a gold setting on a simple chain. It had been packaged in a silk sack but it still felt like everyone was watching them because of it.

"I didn't doubt that you'd get it. But if he hadn't wanted anyone to win it, then he shouldn't have set it up as a prize," she said.

"True, it was by his own foolishness that he lost it," Aikka replied, smiling.

"So what do you plan to do with it?" The prince seemed startled by the question and looked ahead. His face was calm but something just wasn't right. Eva was reluctant at first but reached out with her mind and found…regret clouding his thoughts. She retreated, guilty at even having done it.

"Eh, don't worry about it right now. Let's just enjoy the rest of our day," she told him. He perked up and tied the sack to his belt before hopping on G'dar. The prince helped Eva onto her seat before taking off, heading what seemed to be north, further into the metropolis.

They spent the rest of the day strolling around town. He showed her the shopping and eating establishments. She felt bad that he kept paying for everything, but he insisted. Besides, she didn't understand how their money system worked anyway, as he pointed out.

There were the meditation gardens which were a bit eerie because no one made a sound, not even when they walked. People bowed to the prince and spoke kindly to him, though they spoke kindly to everyone. No one seemed to give him any particularly special attention though they did call him "Your Highness."

They traveled outside the city, out to where the farmers worked and lived. The Nourasian diet consisted of a plant much like rice in that it had to be planted in terraces filled with water. Aikka said the plant itself was round and fit in the hand. It was called a popora and would later be dried and ground up to make other foods out of it. _It can't seem to make up its mind of whether it wants to be a potato or rice. _

They moved up into the mountains, which weren't as far away as the hanger made them seem. Sure enough, the mountain breeze caught her hair and blew it out of her face. It was refreshing, like the mountain river they came upon.

"This is one of the main rivers that feeds the smaller streams in the Capital."

"Wow," was all she could say. She'd seen mountains and streams before but these seemed to lack the dirt and silt that gave the water its distinctive brown color. They stopped so Eva could dip her feet in but that didn't last long because the water was FREEZING. The pilot could see Aikka out of the corner of her eye as he tried to smother his giggling behind his hand.

The pair made it back to the hanger around mid-afternoon. For Eva, the day had flown by too quickly and she still wanted to see more of Nourasia.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" Aikka asked as he helped her down. She landed with a soft _thud_ and smiled up at him.

"A lot. Thanks so much for that," she said.

"I'm glad to hear it. I need to be heading back now, but I will see you later tonight." She stared at him with a blank look.

"Huh?"

"Tonight. There's a celebration taking place tonight up at the palace. My home. All the racers are invited, as well as some of the citizens and dignitaries from other planets. You are coming, aren't you?" he asked. She opened her mouth to reply when she noticed Don walking over.

"I'm glad to see you back safe. Thank you for taking care of my daughter, Your Highness," the manager said.

"The pleasure was all mine."

"You'd better head to the palace. We'll be along in a little while," Don told him and Aikka nodded before urging G'dar home.

"Dad, what-"

"No time for questions now, just get showered. Bethany's waiting upstairs to help you dress," he said as he pushed her towards the stairs. Her feet had to be on autopilot because her mind sure wasn't doing the driving as she headed upstairs.

"So there's a party tonight?"

"I thought you would have gotten that by now," Bethany said, looking at the young girl. Eva glared but there wasn't much venom in it. She looked out the window of the litter they were riding in. The city passed by, lighting up as twilight covered the sky. The beetle they were on was swift and a breeze shuffled in.

"Why didn't you tell me about it earlier?"

"Truth be told, I didn't know about it until a few hours ago. And it's not like cell phones work in a place like this," Bethany motioned out the window. She had to agree on that one.

Eva looked over the other occupants of the litter and stifled a snort. Everyone had been invited, including Stan and Koji, who looked rather stiff and out of place in the formal get up. It was a shirt that buttoned up to the neck and consisted of long sleeves and a pair of pants. The material looked breathable, but the boys still seemed to be squirming under the formality. The only thing that made it more comical was that Stan had refused to take off his goggles, though it might have looked even worse had he left them at the hangar.

Rick and Don were both wearing the same thing, though Don seemed at home and even comfortable in his get up, while Rick didn't seem to particularly care either way. Koji's was a deep blue with black trim and Stan looked pretty good in forest green with gold. Don had on basic black and silver trim, while Rick's had been kept completely white, which suited him. Even his sunglasses looked like they went with the outfit.

Eva fiddled with the hem of her outfit, which was a canary yellow and gold trim. After probably the quickest shower ever, Bethany had helped her fix her hair and apply some makeup while getting dressed. If they could've sold tickets, they would've made a fortune it had been such a commotion.

Her outfit was different, consisting of a long shirt with capped sleeves that reached about mid-thigh. It could have easily been a mini-dress but luckily they came with pants. She didn't know how cold nights got on Nourasia and she really didn't feel like mooning an entire room of people. A long scarf graced her neck, which seemed to pull the whole thing together.

Bethany was wearing a shirt that ended around the middle of her rib cage with the same capped sleeves but was wrapped in a large amount of cloth that ended up thrown over a shoulder. If Eva didn't know better, she'd have sworn it was a sari, but couldn't be sure. Both she and B were wearing sandals, while the men were wearing shoes that resembled slippers.

The beetle stopped in front of a large white palace, the gates of which had been thrown open and creatures were meandering into the garden that surrounded it. The group was helped out of their litter and made their way up the steps. Delicious smells greeted them and hor's dervs were making their way around on plates. Eva scooped up a few and munched on them, savoring the taste. She picked up a glass from a passing waiter and took a swig, only to find that it contained some sort of alcoholic beverage. She glanced around but they didn't seem to have anything non-alcoholic so she stuck with it. Don cast a look at her but she shrugged it off. _It's a party, it's not like I'm driving home_, she thought.

She watched the guests mingled and tried to pick any familiar faces out of the crowd but there were just too many. It didn't help that she'd polished off her first glass and had quickly moved on to a second. Eva wasn't usually one for drinking but today had been a particularly good day and it was a celebration after all.

They weren't there for very long before a gong sounded and people began to gather around the figures standing at the top of the stairs leading into the palace. Eva wasn't surprised to see the Prince and Nourasians she supposed were his parents. They were regal looking and Aikka looked a lot like the woman standing next to him. Even after a little of it, the alcohol seemed to be getting to her head.

"Friends, citizens and fellow racers: Welcome to Nourasia!" The king shouted. A roar went up through the crowd and Eva couldn't help but join in.

"We're pleased to welcome you tonight to our home, to celebrate what could be one of the most exciting races of all time!" Another roar came from the crowd and Eva felt her limbs getting lighter. _I don't know why everyone's griping about this alcohol, it's pretty good_, she thought as she took another swig.

"And tonight, we have a special guest to help celebrate such an auspicious occasion," the king said, motioning to the gate. The crowd parted like the Red Sea and at first Eva couldn't see anything since she was stuck behind a particularly large red giant. But as the person moved to the front of the crowd, she managed to catch hints of who it could possibly be.

_Hmmm, not very tall at least not compared to Rick and Bethany who is ridiculously tall for a woman so it still could be a woman but not likely. Blond hair: suspicious. Looks like it's human I wonder who-_

The alcohol that had been clouding her mind vanished and she felt her hands trembling. She vaguely heard her father gasp as the figure turned to look at the crowd.

"Jordan."

AN: Oh yeah, throw that wrench right in. Gots ta love it! Hope everyone is enjoying the story. I actually had to go back and re-read what I had written. I couldn't remember what had happened and with whom. The babbling in the last bit is kind of how I react to alcohol and yes I am such a lightweight. I turn into a babbling idiot. Eva's probably had a beer or two before but I suspect that alien booze is probably pretty damn strong. Oh, and I'm assuming Eva is from some city in North America. Maybe even Europe, that's just what I'm assuming. So, review! People haven't been reviewing, though I do get a giddy sense of happiness when I find that someone has added my story to their alert list. I thank all of you.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not own Oban or any of its characters. Bethany is mine and if the threat of Mion doesn't scare you, then I'll sic Rena on yo ass!

Eva was staring down at the musicians and guests from up in the balcony. She was nursing a glass of water, deciding that after the shock in the garden, she needed to be lucid to handle the rest of the night.

"I see. So that's Jordan, the Avatar," Bethany said as she planted herself next to Eva. The girl could only sigh and push the glass to her forehead, images of Jordan and Aikka shaking hands flashing through her head and then the guests following them into the house, taking her along for the ride. It was all pretty much a blur. Or a bad dream. She was hoping it was the latter.

Bethany leaned over the railing, admiring the mash of colors below. "Are you going to talk to him?" she asked. She swirled the drink in her hand, the liquid's pink color bouncing off her hand.

"I don't know at this point. Really, I don't know what I'd say. 'Hey Jordan nice to see ya, though I thought that I'd never actually see you again,' doesn't seem like the best approach."

"I'm going with 'no' on that one." They both watched the object of their conversation as he mingled with the guests, each one bowing and shaking his hand, making animated conversation while the poor boy seemed a little flustered by it all. "You'd think after a year he'd be used to it."

"I think that's just part of who he is," Eva said. She'd done her best to avoid him, mostly by finding the quickest way to the second level and staying there. A few other guests chatted quietly off to the side but most of the action was below. The pilot groaned and flopped her head in her hands.

"This is getting way too complicated," she moaned.

"I'll say," Bethany said and Eva could almost hear the smile in her voice. The girl glared at her friend but a trumpet or horn sounded, bringing everyone's attention to the stage. The king and queen were standing on the raised platform, with Aikka standing next to them. It wouldn't have seemed strange if not for the young woman standing next to him.

"My guests, there is another reason we come together to celebrate tonight. I would like announce that our son, Prince Aikka, is formally engaged to the daughter of the royal family of Naiwa, Princess Sephet!" the king told his audience. A cheer came up from the crowd and they shouted their congratulations to the couple.

Eva buried her head in her arms again. She felt an arm snake around her shoulders and squeeze. She peeked out to see Bethany still watching the commotion below. But she opened the mind link they shared, a side-effect of the adventure Eva had shared with her in her mind.

_I'm sorry._

_Me too._ If the girl hadn't felt so hollowed out by Jordan's appearance, she would've probably started crying. Instead, she just leaned into the woman's caring embrace.

"There you two are!" Don said as he walked over with Rick following close behind. He seemed relatively cheerful, but he'd never really cared for the prince anyway. He went over to his daughter and put a comforting hand on her back.

"You okay, little mouse?" Rick asked. He'd seen how Eva had looked at Aikka and while he wasn't sure if it was love, he was sure that she was at least infatuated with him.

"Yeah," she breathed. She pushed back from the railing, though kept her eyes locked on the figures down below. "I'm not sure what to make of it right now. I'm more stunned than anything and I'll probably be hurt later, but right now I'm just so numb nothings really making sense."

"Doesn't surprise me."

"I'm just surprised he didn't mention his engagement earlier. You'd think he'd have the common decency to at least do that," Don said.

"Maybe he meant to. That would explain the guilt I felt earlier," Eva said.

"Guilt?" Bethany questioned.

"Yeah, he felt guilty when I asked him who he planned to give the necklace to. I knew it felt weird," the girl said, rubbing her eyes.

"Ah, I see. Someone went peeking at someone else's emotions."

"Yeah, I shouldn't have done it and I felt really bad afterwards but it does explain things," Eva snapped. She hated snapping at her friends, but her good day had gotten bad and gone to worse. All she really wanted to do now was go back to her room and sleep.

"Hey guys!" Koji called as he and Stan came over. Stan was munching away at a plate of food, which Eva took the opportunity to steal some sort of fruit off of it. Stan looked hurt and the girl couldn't help but smile as she popped the piece into her mouth.

"Has Jordan seen you? Any of you?" she asked between chews.

"No, we've managed to stay out of sight," Rick said, meaning him and Don.

"Me and Stan have stuck to the buffet table which I don't think Jordan's been near all night," Koji said. Eva looked over at Bethany who just put her hands up.

"He wouldn't know me if I walked up to him and slapped his behind."

"Bethany…" Don warned.

"Making a point here. Don't worry Eva. It'll be okay," Bethany said as she sipped on her beverage. The girl smiled, feeling better knowing she had friends to watch over her.

They kept watching the dancers and at some point, Jordan made his way to the edge of a crowd, where someone pulled up a seat for him. He'd been reluctant in taking it but had apparently given up since the guest had been adamant.

Eva was still feeling down, but she felt well enough to reach out with her mind and pick up the surface emotions of the guests down below. Happiness…jealousy…drunken stupor…pomposity…

Wait…that one.

She felt for it again and picked up a darker feeling, something highly agitated. She couldn't be sure exactly what it could be but she got the distinct impression it wasn't good.

"Bethany…" she started, but looking over she could see the woman was already onto it. She was standing straight up, her eyes flitting around the room, searching for the source. "What is it?"

"Revenge." She quickly set her drink on a nearby table and hoped up on the railing. "Go down stairs and try to find it. Fast. I'll do what I can up here," she told them.

Eva took off, taking the stairs two at a time and jumped the last five in one swift move. She could tell the others were following her but she had to stay focused. Again, she searched for that feeling and found it, closer to the front of the room, near the action. The pilot tried her best to move as quickly as possible to the front, but the guests had packed themselves tight and weren't too keen on giving up their spot, even for a moment.

She latched onto the feeling of revenge, pulling on it like a string. The person wasn't giving up, instead moving even quicker. Eva finally resorted to pushing people out of the way, which they were none too happy about.

She finally got to a part in the crowd where she could see the entire front of the room. Eva tugged the energy string again and saw the person turn around, probably feeling something like a tap on the shoulder. He was an ugly thing, like the love child of a hermit from the mountains and a toad. She contacted Bethany ala the mind link and could sense the tension in the woman.

_Bethany-_

_Yeah, I see him. Try to get around him and block any escape route. I'm coming down via chandelier. I think he wants the royal family._

Eva nodded and moved to stand closer to the assassin. She figured that's what he was after because that was the vibe he was giving off. The attendants in the room were mesmerized by the dancing and music and did not notice the hooded figure moving closer to the royal family.

Eva could see Aikka holding the hand of his fiancée and a feeling of anger welled inside her, but she quashed it. Her focus had to be getting this toad man.

A movement and Eva saw Bethany hanging from the chandelier. She swung once, twice before letting go and landing almost in front of the assassin. The crowd gasped, then clapped at her performance.

At this point, any levelheaded being would have made his escape, but not this guy. Eva felt his anxiety skyrocket and he launched himself at his intended targets. Aikka moved to protect them, hand on his knife, but Bethany was quicker and kicked the sword from the assassin's hands. He stopped stunned, before spinning on his heel, only to find Eva blocking his path.

"Sorry, but not to-" He lunged suddenly, a knife in his hand. He'd have gotten her too, if by some miracle her body hadn't moved her to the left, where his knife just missed her. She slammed her fist into his face resulting in him landing on the floor. Bethany walked over, carefully picking up the weapons and checking the body.

"I think you might have overdone it."

"He's an assassin!"

"You really decked him. But I'm proud. Although we need to teach you some more basic self defense moves. I was sure he'd have gotten you…" her voice trailed off as she stared at something behind the girl.

"Molly?" Eva felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up and she pulled her mind back behind the barrier as she turned to look at the voice of the speaker.

"Hello Jordan."

AN: Oh yes. I went and did it. I gave Aikka a fiancée. It just seems like he would have one; he is a prince after all. It's natural for him to be engaged to a princess. And no, I'm not trying to make Aikka the bad guy. He's probably pretty confused about his feelings, I know I would be. So yes, review! Like, don't like, LOATHE with the passion of a thousand suns? Oh, and the mind link, I meant to bring that up in an earlier chapter but forgot. More than likely psychics can talk mind-to-mind if they want to. At least, I imagine they can.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I do not own Oban or any of its characters. Bethany is mine.

_Aren't we just the motley crew,_ Eva thought as she looked over the room. They'd been ushered into one of the back rooms of the palace to discuss the incident. She was leaning against the far wall while Rick, Bethany and Don Wei spoke with advisors and guards. Jordan and Aikka were studying the toad creature that had been tied up in a chair. Its head was down but she couldn't tell if he was asleep or not.

"Hello there." The pilot nearly jumped out of her skin at the greeting. She found herself face-to-face with a very pretty young woman who was probably around her own age. The girl was completely white from head to toe, though her eyes were a lovely deep gold. Her hair had been pulled back to reveal a heart shaped face, which for some reason made her seem petite. Or it could have been her stature; she was shorter than Eva by an inch or two. Her deep purple dress hung off the shoulders and nearly hit the floor, but the girl moved with such a grace that the dress had no chance of hindering her.

"You must be Molly," she said. "I've heard so much about you from Aikka. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." Eva was about to correct her when a sparkle caught her eye. A knot of anger found its way into Eva's stomach as she recognized the jewel hanging around the girl's neck.

"It's actually Eva," she said, bowing. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess Sephet."

"Oh no, the pleasure's all mine," the princess said as she returned the bow. Eva again leaned against the wall, trying her best to distract herself from the pendant.

"Yeah, Aikka and I worked together during the Great Race. You could say we got pretty close," she said, feeling some smug satisfaction. But when she looked at the princess there was a sadness in the noble's eyes that made her feel particularly guilty.

"Eva," Bethany called and the pilot was all too glad to end the conversation. She joined the small group, noting that they'd circled around the body in the chair.

"What's up?"

"We can't seem to get any information out of this…creature, or maybe he can't give us any information. Either way, we need to dive into his mind to find out why he was sent on this assassination mission," the woman said.

"This sounds dangerous. I'm not sure I want Eva involved," Don said.

"She'll be fine as long as she sticks with me. It's still a good opportunity for her to broaden her psychic horizons. Take my hand Eva," she said, extending the appendage.

Eva stared at it for a moment before grasping it in her own and stepped closer to the chair.

_Stay close to me. You could easily get lost in someone else's mind and since you're new at this, we need to be extra careful. Also be aware of your surroundings at all times. You never now what you might find in there._

_Right._

That said, both psychics reached out their hands and darkness covered their vision.

Eva felt weightless, as if she were in space. As she opened her eyes, she noticed instead she was floating in water as the light above was distorted. It reminded her of the buildings back on Gawa with their transparent wavy glass.

She swam towards the light, noting along the way that she could easily breath under water. Breaking the surface, she looked around for her companion and found herself staring at lily pads, cat tails and could hear the buzzing of dragonflies over her head.

"A pond? How much more cliché can you get?" she muttered.

"Eva, hurry up!" Bethany called from the edge. The girl swam over but just as she moved to get out of the water, she noticed she was missing something. The pilot dove back under the water, leaving her companion befuddled.

"What's wrong?"

"My clothes! Where are my clothes?!" she cried. Eva was trying her best to keep herself covered under water but she still felt like all eyes were on her.

"Not here. It's not like anyone's going to see you and besides, you're not REALLY revealing anything," Bethany told her as she extended a hand to help her out. Eva took a look at her friend and noticed that she too was lacking any sort of covering, but that she was right and there was nothing explicit about her nudity. But even as she got out of the water, she felt like covering herself with her hands.

"All right, we need to move as quickly as possible so keep your eyes peeled for anything suspi-Eva put your eye back in your head. And quit peeling it," B told her as she turned to leave.

"Aw, I thought that would gross you out," she said, putting the eye back.

"Doll, I've been doing this a lot longer than you have. It's going to take more than that to gross me out," B replied. Eva followed her companion, both of them floating above the ground but moving as though they were physically running. Images whizzed past her head, much of which just seemed to be memories.

"You seemed to catch on to the whole dream world idea fairly quickly," Bethany said, pointing to Eva's eye. The girl grinned.

"Figured the best way to get over my embarrassment was with a little laughter," she replied. Bethany smiled back, making Eva more at ease.

It wasn't long before they came on a town that looked like something out of a low-budget apocalyptic movie. There were tall buildings but they weren't in particularly good shape. The streets were devoid of people and cars, which made the pot holes look like gaping mouths. Eva half-expected a tumbleweed to roll by in any moment.

"Start looking for any building that might house offices or information collection agencies. Frog man is bound to have them somewhere," said the telepath as she started looking in the windows. Eva went to the other side of the street and began her own search.

"So he wouldn't give you information? Sounds like he just needed to be…convinced," Eva said as she stared in the window of a dilapidated pet shop. Goosebumps crawled up and down her arms, though she wasn't sure if they were real in this place or not.

"No, I suspect someone is trying to block his mind."

"What makes you think something or someone may be stopping his ability to give us information?" the pilot asked. The bumps only multiplied as shadows danced across the walls in the stores and she clung to every word to take her mind off the silence that encapsulated the place.

"This creature is too simple minded to be unwilling, in any event, to give up information. Plus, he doesn't seem like the type to have the brain capacity to think up something like assassination. Take a look around you. This place represents his state of mind. At one point, he had at least some activity going on around here because- Ah, here it is!" she shouted. Eva quickly followed Bethany into the building and up some stairs. It was even creepier inside, as there was no lighting and plenty of dark corners.

They went up to the fourth floor and started down a hallway. Eva was amazed to see cubicles, though abandoned, littering the floor. But it was no less creepy.

"How did you know he was a frog man?" Eva said as she followed Bethany as closely as she could without gluing herself to the woman's backside.

"The pond we came up in. It's more than likely a representation of where he was born," she replied.

"Then why are there buildings and cubicles? He's an amphibian."

"He's still advanced enough to have some concepts of work and organization, though his mental condition seems to have deteriorated over time. Like I was saying before, this place, though simple it may be, was a working mind. That's what these buildings represent: the mind. But something has weakened it so much that it's just waiting for collapse. There's someone much stronger than him controlling his actions and the pond is the only place left of himself because it was the only place that had any activity. Here." They went into an office, which was bare save for a desk, chair and four small stacks of file cabinets.

"This is it?"

"He is a simple creature after all," the woman told her as she began searching through the drawers. Eva shifted uneasily from foot to foot, ready to leave at a moments notice. A noise outside caught her attention and her heart dropped when she looked out the window.

"Bethany?"

"What?"

"Hurry up. Storm's coming." Bethany paled when she looked up to find storm clouds rolling in, deepening the darkness around them. She dug more fervently into the files.

"That's bad. It's probably only going to get worse. We need-" A siren sounded, something deep and forboding, like an air raid warning. "Eva, a barrier."

She didn't need to be told twice, and threw up a wall just as a swarm of shadows flooded the room. They lunged and charged the wall, forcing Eva to brace herself.

"Bethany!"

"I'm hurrying!" Sweat began to bead on her forehead and her legs were sliding as the shadows turned into weapons that their comrades used to try and crack the wall. Her whole body was feeling taxed even though it wasn't physical. Tears streamed down her face though she wasn't sure why.

"Bethany!"

"Got it!" The woman turned around just as the room and shadows disappeared. They were still surrounded by the barrier, but a silhouette larger than the rest loomed on the other side. It raised a hand to strike, turning into something that looked like a dagger.

"Eva!" The girl was filled with fear and panic, something she hadn't felt in a long time. She screamed and a white light filled her vision. The last thing she remembered seeing was Bethany flying back and scorch marks on the dark figure.

"Eva? Eva?"Her body ached, even though the girl knew she hadn't moved. Or at least, she thought she hadn't.

She moved, only to find something soft under her. Opening her eyes slowly, Eva found herself staring at Jordan's face. A blush colored her cheeks and she moved to get off him but her limbs felt like gelatin.

"Wha-what happened?" she croaked. Her throat was parched, as though she'd marched across an enormous desert. He steadied her as she stood since her legs threatened to give out at any moment.

"You and your friend were just standing there when all of a sudden you screamed and your body went flying," he told her.

"T-thanks," she muttered, before prying herself off his hands. It wasn't that they'd been clinging but she'd been uncomfortable with him holding her.

"Feels like all hell just broke loose," someone said. Eva looked over to see Rick helping a wobbly Bethany to her feet. She smiled at him but wandered back over to their prisoner. She studied him for a moment before her eyes widened and her finger flew to his neck. A few moments passed before Bethany shook her head and took the tablecloth off a nearby table.

"What is it? What happened?" Eva asked as she stumbled over. Bethany looked at her with sad eyes before placing the tablecloth over the prisoner.

"It's nothing."

"It's not nothing! What-"

"He's dead." Eva stopped just shy of her friend. Looking down, she noticed the sheet didn't move, didn't twitch. It wasn't going up and down with the intake and exhaling of air. The room began to spin as she stumbled towards the door.

"Quick! Before she-"

The blackness took her once more.

Author's Note: Sorry it's taking me so long. I have to be in the mood to write. (IE, I have to feel like not being lazy enough to not write, if that makes any sense.) I hope you're enjoying this and sorry if Eva's blacking out a lot but when you have a new mental power that you don't know how to deal with that has a tendency to happen. Or when you hit your head, it happens then too. Thanks to Annie C. for the review. I hope to get more in the future.


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I do not own Oban Star-Racers or any of the characters. Bethany is mine.**

Eva could feel the muscles in her face trying to twitch and her fingers occasionally fiddled with the controls or gears. The race would start soon but she was too frazzled to keep her mind focused on any one thing.

"Eva, you look like a squirrel on Red Bull," Bethany said. Her breath came out in a cloud as she spoke. Strangely, the overnight temperatures had dropped dramatically and they'd woken up to not only a cold but rainy morning.

The previous night had come and gone without Eva waking up at all. She'd slept soundly the entire night but had been bombarded with strange dreams and she'd woken up more tired than when she'd gone to sleep.

"Brrrrrr," she shivered. Sitting up, she glanced out the window in her room to see raindrops hitting the glass. _I wonder if Gawains get uncomfortable when it rains_, she thought. The black clouds were ominous and she shivered again. It was then that she remembered.

Eva jumped out of bed, grabbing a blanket on her way out the door. Looking up and down the catwalk, she looked for any sign of her teammates. She almost gave up when a faint orange glow in the office caught her attention. Snarling, the girl took off. She had more than a few questions that needed answering.

"What happened?!" the young pilot demanded as she slammed open the door. Five pairs of eyes stared up at the sudden intrusion, a couple of them out from under the rims of caps. Bethany turned to look up at her.

"You fainted. Everyone was worried, but since there was nothing medically wrong with you, we brought you back here. The Avatar was kind enough to help," she told her. Eva visibly started at the mention of Jordan touching her but quickly shook it off.

"No! I mean, what happened with the frog man?! Did I really…" she trailed off. She couldn't bring herself to say the last part. Tears welled up in her eyes but she quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand.

"…There's no easy way to explain this. When we were attacked by the shadow in his mind, you panicked. Before I could put up another barrier you released all the fear you had, and it ended up overwhelming the frog creature to a point where it killed him," Bethany explained. She looked as if she were talking about the weather, which pissed off Eva even more.

"Why didn't you tell me this could happen?!" she yelled.

"I'm not an empath and I didn't know you were going to react that way. There's no way anyone would have known that would happen," she stated, turning back to her coffee.

"But you've had psychic powers longer than I have."

"That doesn't mean I'm going to automatically know what's going to happen. I'm sorry that you happened to kill the frog man but believe it or not, that shadow wasn't far from doing it… itself. Besides, it's partly my fault for not having better prepared you or warning you. I'm sorry," Bethany said. Eva wanted to punch something or go crawl back under the covers and sulk. She's was frustrated beyond words.

"This isn't clearing up anything!"

"And it probably won't for a few years. Try to understand. Truly, it wasn't your fault. You were protecting yourself. I would have done the same in your place." Eva tried to argue but Don took the moment to interrupt.

"We'll continue this discussion later. Eva, go get ready. You're race starts in a few hours. Stan, Koji, go warm up the Zodiac. Rick, take Bethany and go check out the race course. Come on people, we've got a lot of work to do," he said, physically pushing Eva out the door. The others were slow to follow but before long, the hanger began to heat up as the racer went through its exercises.

For a while after, the girl had gone numb, but while she was picking out her clothes, the events of the night began coming back to her one-by-one. First, the surprise with Jordan had caught her off guard, then finding out about Aikka's fiancé started the downward spiral. One mind journey and a dead frog man later, she was wondering whether or not to go looking for a white rabbit.

"Cause I sure feel like I've fallen down the hole," she muttered. Her fingers briefly ran through her hair, betraying her fidgety mood. Her mental wall was also on shaky legs and she could almost physically see the cracks.

"Stay focused Eva. This is your second race since you've become an empath and you look just as jumpy as you did then," Bethany told her. The girl only slightly nodded, causing the young woman to curse under her breath.

"Do you think she should be doing this?" Bethany turned to look and although Rick hadn't moved his head, the question was obviously directed at her.

"Not really. She's got a lot on her mind right now, not to mention that her wall is still pretty weak and she'll have to deal with all the emotions on the track. I don't want to help her this time, but I will if it becomes absolutely necessary," she told him. He finally turned to look at her and there was a sad look in her eyes. _I don't know whether to trust her now or not after last night's events but she's the one who's been helping Eva with all this, so right now I've got no choice. Later, though, she'll answer my questions. _

Back in the cockpit, Eva stared ahead trying her best to keep her attention on the light and her wall rather than having it wander over to a particular blue beetle or up into the stands, looking for one of the seats of honor. Jordan had been invited to watch today's race apparently which just delighted Eva's already raw nerves.

The rain pelted the cockpit, distorting images and while she could have turned on the Vision program that fixed those images during the race, she found comfort in not being able to see clearly right now.

"Racers! Get ready, set…go!" the announcer cried. The light flashed green and they were off. Eva took off, following the tail of the Sekes racer. When the ship swerved just slightly left, the Earthling spun and tore ahead. Glancing back, she saw the Sekes pilot shaking his…was that a flipper?

_So far, so good,_ she thought as she charged ahead. The next few corners she gained some ground and she could feel her confidence coming back. Her mental wall was holding most of the alien emotions at bay, though it was straining at the bonds.

A small movement out of the corner of her eye and she slammed on the breaks to keep from getting sliced by the Crogs trident. She also lost her concentration and the mental wall shattered.

_How dare they! How DARE they!_ she thought and pushed the gas. The anger which had flooded over her quickly turned into rage and she started slamming the Zodiac into the back of the Crogs craft.

"Eva! What are you doing?!" her father shouted.

"Eva! Calm down!" Bethany cried. Rick walked over to the monitors and peered over Koji's shoulder.

"It's just like the race with Spirit. She's almost completely lost it and if she keeps this up, she'll end up hurting herself or worse," Rick said. He looked up at the monitor to see the Zodiac slamming into the side of the trident.

"Just who do you think you are?!" Eva shouted over the intercom. This wasn't good.

_Eva! Eva, ENOUGH! _The girl nearly skidded to a halt when Bethany popped up in front of her. For a second, she thought it was an image on her cockpit screen, but then noticed that it was more of a holographic image.

"Wha-Move! You're blocking my view!" the girl cried as she dangerously swerved around a star racer.

_Eva! Take back your control! Don't let the rage consume you! If you do, you'll probably-_

"Stop giving me probablies! You don't know…you don't know ANYTHING!" she hollered at the projection. Bethany's image quickly disappeared, though a tiny voice nagged at Eva to listen. She shook her head and charged.

"No, I'm tired of being pushed around. I'll show them, I'll show them ALL!"

Rick felt a sudden shudder pass through Bethany and he looked down to see her gasping for air.

"Easy, easy," he said, sitting her up. He'd been watching the screens when he heard a 'thump' behind him. He turned to find that Bethany had fainted or that's at least what it looked like. Rick went over to make sure she was alright when he'd heard Eva talking to someone in the cockpit. While he couldn't see anyone, he assumed it was Bethany.

It took a few moments for her to catch her breath but then her eyes flew up to the screen. Eva's racer was nearing the front of the pack, but the rain was coming down harder now and it looked to be hailing as well.

"Eva slow down at this turn," Bethany croaked.

"Do what she says," Don said. But Eva wasn't listening and instead pushed forward. It was that move that gave the Palles a chance to side-swipe the Zodiac. Unfortunately, Eva couldn't stop in time and the Zodiac slammed into the wall.

Author's Note: Oh, I do love cliffhangers. Let's all hope Eva's okay. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed and I love that people like this story to favorite or story alert. It warms my heart with fuzzies. Anyway, please continue to review. And Jester, you'll just have to wait and find out.


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I do not own Oban Star-Racers or any of the characters. Bethany is mine.**

Rick could feel himself drifting off to sleep, even though the chair was extremely uncomfortable. Don had stationed himself right next to the bed, holding Eva's hand. They were at the hospital and many frantic hours had passed since the Zodiac's crash. The girl was still sedated, having suffered a concussion and a broken arm. The girl was lucky that was all she suffered considering the amount of damage the Zodiac incurred. The hull had almost been completely crushed and one engine had exploded on impact. Stan and Koji had gone back to the hanger after learning that Eva would be alright. They needed to asses the extent of damage the star racer had suffered not only to the outside but also inside the ship.

A movement at the doorway alerted Rick to Bethany's return. She was motioning him to follow her. He struggled a little to get up, as he was stiff and sore from sitting. Rick glanced one more time at the bed, listening for a moment to the soft beeping of the monitors that kept track of the girl's vitals.

"So, what's going on?" he asked. The hallway was relatively quiet save for the random nurse passing or machines beeping. They were wandering towards what Rick surmised was a cafeteria. They both picked up a cup of what he hoped was the alien equivalent to coffee and sat at a table.

"Well, for the moment the race has been suspended," Bethany told him, taking a sip of her beverage.

"For what reason?" he asked.

"The official I talked to didn't give me a direct answer, though he did mention something about the grand prize or the 'gods' or whoever is truly in charge of it. Things have been becoming more and more erratic as we continue in the race."

"More like it's just the beginning of something much bigger."

"I'd have to agree." They sat for a moment in silent, letting the little warmth they could gather seep into their bones. For once, Rick noticed, the silence wasn't uncomfortable as it usually was with Bethany. It was like the air around them wasn't filled with tension.

"I want to ask you something," he said. She perked up a little but there was weariness in her eyes that he figured was probably her way of surrendering. "After that argument you had with Eva this morning I finally decided I was going to learn what exactly has happened to you and how you know so much about everything."

"I don't know everything."

"I seems like you do. So spill. And I'm not letting you leave until I feel that I've gotten a decent explanation."

For a moment, she just stared at her drink. But then a heavy sigh escaped her, as if the weight of the world were settling on her shoulders. She looked back up at him. "You sure you want to know?"

"Too many weird and dangerous things have been happening since you've gotten here. I wasn't worried at first but we've been going through one hellish experience after another. So yeah, I want to know."

"It's a long story."

"We've got time."

"I suppose the best place would be to start at the beginning."

"Usually." She glared at him but there was little venom in it.

"I was born in the northeast of the United States about twenty-two years ago. My father John is a senator in Congress. My mother Mary was old-fashioned, a housewife. I'm the oldest of three children. I have a brother Elijah who is four years younger than me and my sister Daphne who's ten years younger. We lived very well, the upper-middle class at worst." It seemed normal enough to Rick but after having seen the scars all over Bethany's body, he knew there was more to it.

"From the very beginning, or at least what I can recall, my father abused me. Never sexually but I was his favorite punching bag. I can't tell you for sure why, but I think it had something to do with my being born a girl. I've never been able to find out the truth. When my brother was old enough, he joined in the fun."

"Didn't your mom try to stop them?"

"She encouraged it. She grew up in a family where women served their husbands, which is strange because she was not a weak woman at all. You could say that she was my father's equal. Regardless, she doted on my brother. Something about how he was such a strong boy or whatever. After my brother was born, things escalated from bruising and beating to knives and threats with a gun. Before I was seven, I never would have thought he'd use it. Sure I was afraid of him, but I truly never thought he'd kill me."

"What happened after you turned seven?"

"I died." Rick couldn't help but stare. It was a pretty shocking revelation. "Obviously I lived but there was a time when I was truly gone. I don't know what set off the chain of events but I do remember it was a ridiculously hot day in July. It was one of those record breaker heat waves that would come to an end that night because of the coming rainstorm. So the air was thick with humidity. I remember everyone was miserable but my father was in a particularly rotten mood. Sometime that afternoon, he and his buddies got together for a poker game at someone else's house. My father dragged me along, probably as a bargaining chip or maybe a maid, because I was serving drinks most of the night. At some point during the game, it started raining and that seemed to make the guys more rowdy. They were drunk and carrying on and it was at that point that my father decided to step up the game.

"Everyone went outside, though they had to drag me because I was afraid of what would happen. He threw me to the ground and the other men started beating on me. I tried to protect myself as best I could but it only worked so well. At some point, a few of the men pulled out knives and started hacking away. That was also when my dad carved the WHORE into my abdomen. 'Let everyone know what you really are,' he said. When they'd had their fun with me, that's when the gun was pulled. I tried to play dead but a shot was still fired. Luckily, and I mean the greatest amount of luck, the bullet only grazed my skull, but I was so tired and weak from the pain and blood loss at that point I couldn't feel it. I think one of the men may have had a change of heart and called for an ambulance. But a lot of damage was done."

"What happened? Was anyone punished for what happened?"

"No. Everyone got off scot free. I was taken to the hospital and they had to shock me to bring me back. I was dead on the table. But it didn't do much good. My parents know judges and how to bribe them. Not even the best lawyers and cops could have stopped it. That's when I decided I would never let them see me cry again. It seemed to give them power over my life. After that point, I stopped speaking to my parents and my brother unless it was absolutely necessary, and went on with trying to survive.

"When my sister was born, I was afraid for her life. The first and only time I saw her struck was when she was two, and it was then that I decided I wouldn't do it anymore. I could deal with it, but she would have a better life. So I packed up one night, took my sister and ran away."

"Where?"

"You'll probably laugh, but believe it or not, the circus." When Rick just sipped his coffee, Bethany continued. "We started off as just extra hands, helping move props and costumes, cleaning tack and equipment, doing safety checks, just miscellaneous stuff no one else wanted to do. I was eventually recruited for the high wire and trapeze act."

"Did anyone ever find you?"

"No, but we came close a number of times. The cops tried to sniff us out but we always managed to hide before they could find us."

"So no one ever rated you out or asked any questions?"

"Not at first. People who join the circus usually have a past that they would rather leave behind. But after a while they had to ask considering a pre-teen is wandering around with no parents and a young baby. I told them, but surprisingly they were very understanding about it.

"So, we lived like that until Daphne turned six. She was working with the musicians and during that time she displayed a talent for the violin. It was then I decided not to waste her gift and we left. My sister got into Carnegie Prep School, and I went to community college, as well as working part-time as a secretary. But it wasn't enough money to pay for the school, so I quit my job and came to work for Don. And this is where we are now." She sipped her drink, not meeting Rick's eyes. He couldn't tell if she was embarrassed, tired or ashamed. Bethany looked like she was ten years older than her actual age, but from the sound of it, she'd had to grow up at an earlier age to be there for her sister.

"I'm sorry about what happened to you. I didn't know," he said.

"Few people do. I'm surprised you believe me."

"I've seen the scars. And as outrageous as that story sounds, we happen to be sitting in a cafeteria on an alien planet drinking what may or may not be poison." She stared at him for a second before collapsing into a fit of giggles.

"Thank you Rick," she said, her eyes softening. They just sat there for a few minutes, drinking the rest of their beverage and simply enjoying the now comfortable atmosphere.

"What's going on with the race? Has anyone said anything concerning Eva's crash?" Don asked, walking up behind them. The mechanic looked up to see exhaustion clouding the man's features and he felt sorry for Don.

"Right now the race has been suspended, though they have no reason why. And no one is saying anything about Eva's crash. You have to remember there are no rules in this race, and that includes taking the life of a fellow racer," she said. _Though the real reason Eva crashed is because she couldn't keep control of her emotions and keep others' at bay_, Rick thought.

"This isn't right!" Don yelled. For a moment, it seemed he would take out his frustration on the two of them, but he settled for pulling a chair out and plopping down into it. "What are we gonna do?" he asked.

"We sit tight for now. The suspension of the race has come at a very convenient time. Eva can heal from the crash and Stan and Koji can work on the racer to get it working again. During that time, we can also try to find out who was responsible for the crash," Bethany said.

"And if we can't?'

"Then we get aggressive."

Author's Note: Ah, I have returned from obscurity. I appreciate all the reviews and favorite story additions. I have love for all the people who read my story. I apologize for not updating sooner. This particular chapter was hard to write, even though I had a lot of Bethany's history worked out ahead of time. And I'm sorry if her past isn't believable but this story is pretty unbelievable so it balances out. I may go back and re-do it later. Thanks again!


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I do not own Oban or any of its characters. Didn't I say I'd stop writing disclaimers? Oh well crappy day.

Eva sighed heavily as she spread out over the catwalk that hung above the hanger. They'd moved on to the planet of Esqua, but no races had been called yet. No one was sure when the races would resume, if they ever did. So Eva wase planet of Esqua, but no races had been called yet. No one was sure when the races would resume, if they ever sitting around perpetually bored. And she had the unfortunate luck of having a cast on a planet that had two suns, an endless desert and virtually no night.

She glanced outside to watch the winds toss the sand and dust arounk of having a cast on a planet that had two suns and virtualld in the dry heat. She absently scratched at the cast which luckily for her she could remove to take showers and for other hygienic purposes. But the material it was made of was ridiculously sturdy and thick and in the heat made it itch.

"Gah!" sh!"ses. But the material it was made of was ridiculously sturdy and thick and in the heat made it itch.

e showers and for othe cried and sat up. Eva looked around to see that no one else was in too much of a hurry, not even Stan and Koji. They absently toyed with some of the spare parts but it was obvious to see that fixing the Zodiac was not high on their list of things-to-do. Heed with some of the spare parts but it was obvious to seer dad she knew had retreated to his office and was busying himself with paperwork, although even he had opted out of wearing his usual black suit and had gone with a white button down and a pair of khakis. Bethany was leaning up against the hanger opening, catching what little wind she could while trying to stay far from the reach of the sun. Rick seemed to be the only one who wasn't bothered too much by the heat. He was pulling some of the damaged parts out of the Zodiac's engine and assessing whether or not they could be salvaged. He jotted down a note here or there on a pad of paper but he was the only one really trying to keep busy.

Eva pulled her shirt as if somehow the peeling of her shirt from her skin would make her cooler but that insufferable heat just continued to assault her. She got up and made her way down the stairs, trying to find something to keep her occupied so that she wouldn't think about how hot she was or how the itching of the cast was driving her to the brink of insanity. Earlier the young woman has tried meditating to calm her mind and gather focus but she'd given up after about five minutes. Considering that she was still a newbie at this and had little focus as it was, putting her in what had to be God's frying pan did not make for an enticing meditation environment.

"Hot enough for ya?" she absent-mindedly said to Bethany. The older woman just kind of glanced at her out of the corner of her eye while also picking a drenched tank top from her chest.

"It's not so much the heat, it's the stagnation. There's hardly a breeze and this unchanging landscape can drive one to drink. Of course, that would be if it didn't dehydrate the body so badly," she snipped. Eva knew that she was just cranky because of the weather and besides, her gripes held little bite. The young pilot looked out the hanger doors at the great sea of sand. Off in the great distance, she could see what would be the equivalent of sandstone mountains on Earth, but they were a dull beige color and did little to break up the monotony of…well, everything.

She scratched at her neck while panning the garage for anything to do. Her eyes settled on a pile of old spray cans sitting not to far from Stan and Koji. For a moment she just stared at them, not really thinking about anything in particular. Until…

"Hey Bethany. Do you have a lighter?"

_**KABOOM! **_

_You know, for such a small can of paint, it sure did make a big explosion_, Eva thought. _**g of her shirt would make her cooler but that insufferable heat just continued **_

"That one must've had a lot more paint in it than we originally thought," Bethany mused aloud. Stan and Koji barely nodded before they went to set up the next batch. They had set up a small station outside the hanger, complete with a wall for them to hide behind. Mind you, it got a bit cozy back there, but between all the giggling and laughing, no one was complaining much.

Eva'd gotten the idea from a memory that'd found its way from the bank. It had happened at the boarding school outside the dorms. She'd been watching from her window as a bunch of morons blew up spray paint cans in leau of fireworks. They claimed it was their right to celebrate the Fourth of July and since they couldn't set off fireworks, they were gonna blow up something. They'd apparently scrounged all over the campus before finding a storage shed with some old spray paint cans in them.

While it was fun to watch, it was even more amusing when at the end of their little game, the boys were suddenly aware that they'd maybe blown the things up too close to the building, as it now looked like a Jackson Pollock painting had exploded on the dorm wall. Needless to say, the perpetrators were caught and made to clean up the mess. It'd been one of Eva's better fourths at the boarding school.

"So what color next? Eighties teal eye shadow or navy nineties bike shorts?" Koji called. Eva and Bethany couldn't help but snicker at the names they'd given the bottles, just to make the experience that much more exciting.

"Eye shadow, definitely eye shadow," she called and they both watched the boys set it up. Stan and Koji had been more than happy to get on board, as it would give them something to do, and like all men, gave them something to blow up. Everyone was running around in safety goggles and tan hooded coats, the first to protect their eyes from the paint, the second was mandatory for anyone going out in the sun.

"You know, sex shop pink doesn't go well with red, Eva," Bethany commented, pulling at a strand of her hair. Her fingers pulled away to indeed show that the young pilot hadn't been ducking as far down as she should and had colored some of her hair.

Eva was about to retort when they heard, "Incoming!" and squeezed in behind the Plexiglas window. Again, a tight squeeze considering it was part of the door of a sedan and a few crates that made up their protective wall but well worth it. Even if all the splattered paint was starting to make it hard to see through the window.

They waited and watched as the flame ate up the liquor soaked cloth and then…

_**KABOOM! **_

They cheered and clapped like a bunch of morons but a bunch of happy morons. As the mechanics went for the next can, Eva took the moment to stretch since she'd been crouching for too long. Something on Bethany's arm caught her eye and upon closer inspection, made her grin.

"Considering how much you hate the eighties, you're well on your way to wearing the look," she told the woman. Bethany looked perplexed but when she followed Eva's finger, she noticed the a slat in one of the boards had given the paint ample opportunity to dye her arm.

"Please. At least I look good in this color," she said just as the boys came hurtling back around the corner.

They eagerly watched with bated breath, even though they'd done this almost two dozen times now, when…

"What is going on here?" All four tensed and turned to see Don and Rick standing behind them, with puzzled looks on their faces. Oh dear god…

"GET DOWN!" Stan yelled and the four of them ducked as the can gave the loudest _**KABOOM!**_ of the day. It was a while before anyone dared look up and were shocked to find that parts of the garage were covered in paint. Rick poked his head out from around the corner of the garage, making sure the coast was clear. They could see that a part of his arm had gotten some part of the blast.

But the worst part was Don Wei. The man was covered head-to-waist in what Eva and Bethany had lovingly dubbed Hooker Red Lipstick. He'd been smart enough to wear goggles probably because of all the exploding noises, though that did little good considering they were now doused in red paint. Eva didn't know whether to cower, hide or laugh. She felt that all three at once would be appropriate, if she could only move.

Don, in his characteristic fashion, slowly removed the goggles. Oh, that just made it worst. Eva felt really sorry for her dad because now she really, really wanted to laugh. He looked like the world's worst sunburn victim.

"You…ALL of you…are in so much trouble. I want this cleaned up…by the time I'm done with my shower…but don't think that's the end of it. Oh no…that's definitely not the end of it," he muttered as he turned around and headed back into the hanger.

It was a few tense moments before anyone moved. Eva looked at Bethany, who snapped her fingers and in her best Jerseylicious voice said, "Guuuurrrrrl, he's just jealous."

Everyone busted out laughing and it was a long while before Eva even had the strength to stand up since she was busy holding the stitch in her side.

Author's Note: Yay! I finally finished this chapter. I was having a hard time figuring out how to write it. I don't do well with comedy unfortunately. I've had this idea in my head for a while, as something to break the serious tension. I really don't have an excuse for why it's taken me this long to update, mostly that I'm lazy.

I do believe that Eva would have some idea of who Jackson Pollock was considering she went to a pretty fancy boarding school. She probably didn't like it but she'd know what it is.

I just also love the idea of calling something Hooker Red Lipstick. Ah, poor Don Wei. You were bound to get it at some point.

Please review!


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I do not own Oban Star-Racers or any of the characters. Bethany is mine.**

Rick leaned back, rather pleased with himself. He'd managed to find some shade (if you could call it that) and a cool (for this planet) glass of some fruit drink, and the rock under the tree was at least below the temperature of burning a hole in his pants. He wasn't sure what the fruit was, although it tasted along the lines of maybe mango, but it was cool, and on a planet like Esqua it could be classified as glacially cold.

He and Bethany had gone into town for supplies, both racing and personal. Every time they arrived at a planet, their kitchen would be stocked with all kinds of food and drinks. But since they'd been on Esqua for almost a week, they'd had to make a trip into town. Part of it was Bethany's punishment for what had happened earlier in the day and Rick couldn't help a snicker.

The Hooker Red Lipstick, as Bethany and Eva had lovingly dubbed it, had unfortunate timing, as it exploded all over Don Wei. A bit of the spray paint had found a small exposed part of Rick's arm, but Don…his entire front was covered in the stuff. Luckily he could just toss the shirt and slacks, but he'd had to wipe his face, arms and run a comb drenched in mineral spirts through his hair and it still wasn't all out. The shower afterwards had not cooled his fury. At all.

The punishment was not lite. Eva, Stan and Koji were tasked with cleaning every square inch of the garage and living quarters. Even Don Wei's own daughter plagued with a cast was not immune from washing the walls or the hull of the Zodiac. And B, well…

"Don't you just look so cozy?" Speak of the devil. Rick casually glanced over his shoulder to see that Bethany was well hidden behind the pile of groceries in her arms. And while Rick would've usually gone over and helped her, he decided that for the spray paint, he'd let her put the stuff away.

Don had made her Rick's assistant for the afternoon, since he needed to run into town for supplies. Now, that didn't sound so bad, but here on Esqua, the wind and sand could tear human flesh to shreds in under an hour, not to mention the unrelenting suns. They'd been issued special cloaks, goggles and breathing masks, in case they decided to venture beyond the track. The transports here were also topless, so it became vital to stay covered up.

It made getting anywhere hot, uncomfortable business.

Then there was the actual shopping. That was one thing Rick did not like to do. Back on Earth, he was a get-in-and-get-out kind of guy. But they'd been laden with a list of personal items that apparently everyone suddenly needed and since you're going into town any way great kay thanks bye. So he'd split the list, taking the mechanical purchases and leaving the rest up to her. He'd expected some rebuttal but to her credit, she had just taken the list and left.

That had been a few hours ago. He suspected that she may have been having a hard time securing "feminine products," since most aliens weren't built like humans and he didn't even know if they had to deal with "cycles." Not that he planned on asking.

She managed to arrange her groceries around her purchases and took the opportunity to stretch some of the sort spots in her back. He knew he could've gone with her to at least carry some of the packages like he normally would, but Don had yet to deal out the rest of her punishment and so Rick decided he'd have a little fun with her.

"What's that?" she asked, pulling him from his thoughts.

"It's a drink," he replied and she rolled her eyes.

"Clever. I mean, what's the…oh nevermind. I'm going to get one."

"Can't. We need to get back to the hanger."

"It can wait. I'm thirsty."

"Then maybe I'll just leave you here and you can walk back." He figured she knew he was bluffing but she did look thoughtful for a moment.

"Fine. I'm going to get my damn drink," she said and headed to the bar. Rick was shocked. She would walk through sand and wind just for a damn drink. But maybe this was her way of retaliating against him. He chuckled and settled back against his rock. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw B gesture towards him in the universal I'll-have-what-he's-having way. The bartender didn't even blink as he began pulverizing fruits faster than a Cuisinart. She thanked him, dropped some coins on the counter and sauntered back towards him. He smiled when she noticed that her glass was so rough that it would probably slice her lips like ripe fruit. He'd almost done the same but had stopped himself before needing stitches.

"What's up with this glass?" she asked as she sidled up to his trip sipping from her drink.

"I think it's because of all the sand."

"What?"

"They use what resources they have and they have plenty of sand, so they make lots of things from that. But the cheaper the piece, the more dangerous it is I suspect," rick said. For a moment there was silence and when he looked up Bethany was giving him a smirk.

"Well look at Mr. Science Guy over here," she hummed. He felt heat in his cheeks and turned away.

"Get everything you needed?" he asked.

"As best as I can do on an alien world. But I'm really sick of spicy foods, especially when I can't tell how hot the peppers are," she said.

"Why don't you just tell Stan you're done with spicy for a while?" Rick asked.

"Because then he mopes and sulks and he doesn't say anything and it makes me feel just terrible and I eventually cave anyway," she told him. He chuckled.

"Your future kids are going to get away with so much," he said.

"Shut up," she bit but her face was red from embarrassment.

The pepper thing was also another reason Rick hated shopping. Because everyone in the garage had different preferences when it came to food. Koji couldn't handle spicy. Like, mild salsa was a test of endurance for him. But Stan loved spicy food, and saw this trip as an opportunity to try and find something spicier than the Ghost pepper back on Earth. It wouldn't have been so bad if not for the fact that no alien knew what a jalapeno or habanero pepper were or looked like. So Bethany had had to try them to find out.

One instance found Rick rushing to the kitchen when he heard gagging noises. She'd bitten into something and was so red in the face he thought she might pass out. He'd had to coach her for the next fifteen minutes before she could even talk, at which point she'd informed him that she'd been hacking and wheezing for fifteen minutes before he'd shown up. By sheer stroke of luck, they'd had some leftover dairy-like product in the fridge, but even alien heavy whipping cream had been like spitting on a forest fire.

"We'd better head back. You're going to have to face the Pied Piper sooner or later," he said. B cringed and Rick had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. She downed the rest of her drink in one gulp and headed back to the transport. Rick moved to follow but something off to his left caught his eye.

There was a small gang jostling something against the wall and while he didn't think much of it at first, a flash of gold really caught his attention. The gold seemed to be vibrating and he just managed to get a peek of a purple hood. There was something small and quivering creature the thugs had turned into entertainment.

Rick sighed. He knew. He knew he shouldn't get involved. It wasn't his problem and he didn't even know who or what the thugs were screwing around with. But there had been a time in Rick's past when he'd been small and scrawny and picked on. It had been brief, but it had left a sour taste in his mouth. So against his better judgment, he went over.

"Well, what do we have here? Seems we have a couple of big bad wolves spooking an innocent little red riding hood," he said. A couple looked over and Rick found himself comparing them more to pigs. They had pushed in noses, squinty eyes and fat faces. But all they did was sniff in his direction, deduced he was a non-threat and turned back to their "play."

It wasn't surprising they weren't intimidated. They were all about Rick's height and mass, but their bulk was in their upper arms and torsos. They were the definition of knuckle-draggers, but they carried large clubs. Still, they were top heavy and probably very slow, which was good because Rick wasn't very fast. "Look, back off. You've got no business here," he snarled.

One turned to him and stared for a while. Rick wasn't sure what it was going to do but whatever it was, it sure seemed to be taking a long time to make up its mind. Just as he was about to just step in, the creature opened its maw. "Neither do you," it said and slowly turned back around. Great, so it had some intelligence, but the up-tick was that it had taken for ever to give him an answer. He just might be able to take them on, since there were about six or seven of the monstrous pigs.

He tapped one on the shoulder and when it turned, he punched it. Hard. The thing went down, but Rick had to keep from wincing. The thing had a solid jaw. It took a couple of minutes before the rest of them realized what had happened but when they did, they all turned nasty red eyes on him. He prepared himself for a fight, but then something small whizzed by his ear and a second later one of the others was clutching at his arm, howling. He looked behind him to see Bethany standing there, her right arm now a smoking pistol.

"Now, my gun here shoots bullets. As in, little bits of metal that will lodge in your skin and you will have to dig to get out. And it'll hurt like a sonofabitch. So if the rest of you don't want a piece of that, then you best move on and leave the quivering leaf behind," she said.

Rick knew it would take them a while to process that speech, so he took that time and started swinging. It was a low blow, but he had to take every advantage he could.

Unfortunately, the only thing these creatures processed quickly was fighting and they were on him quicker than he liked. He'd' have considered the fight lost had some sort of battle cry not erupted from over his shoulder and Bethany put her foot in a face, sword drawn.

Well, at least he wouldn't be alone when he was licking his wounds.

"Yeah that's right run away. You couldn't handle all of this!" Bethany yelled at the retreating thugs. Rick might've found it funny if he wasn't so sore. It had been a while since he'd gotten into such a dirty fight and his body was letting him know that he wasn't twenty any more. He was also pissed that there wasn't anything he could use to nurse his bruises. Damn Esqua and its endless heat.

Bethany looked about as banged up as he did, though she seemed rather smug about it. But then she'd come in swinging and was almost a decade younger than he was. The scars on her legs were also proof that her tolerance for pain was high. Plus, there was a bit of blood on her knee that he knew for a fact wasn't hers and it wasn't his.

Rick looked around to make sure the bullied hadn't been trampled in the fight and found it peeking out around the corner of the building. The creature seemed to have found its courage again as it darted forward.

"Thank you both for everything that you've done! You saved my life!" she said. At least he could assume it was a she since the voice was rather feminine, at least to his ears. When the hood was pushed away, Rick was sure the creature was a female. And a rather familiar one at that.

"Hey, I know you," Bethany said. The girl suddenly looked scared and turned to run, but on instinct Rick grabbed her hand making her squeak in surprise. B stood and popped a few joints before walking over to their companion. "I can't remember where, but I know I've at least seen you before."

"Maybe you've seen someone like me," the girl tried.

"No. I know I haven't come across another albino alien, I'd have remembered." Bethany stood scrutinizing, making the girl whimper and shrink. Rick rolled his eyes. For all of Bethany's motherly instincts, she seemed to forget how her height could make her damned intimidating. She was bent over, peering into the girl's face, making her squirm. The shy look on her face sparked something in his memory.

"Nourasia," he said. The girl jumped and he knew he'd remembered correctly. "She's Aikka's fiancé." Realization lit up Bethany's face.

"Princess Sephet!" she exclaimed, but then something along the lines of distrust settled over her. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I'm here to-to-to cheer on my fiancé," she said, trying to sound convincing but the stuttering was a dead giveaway.

"Does he know you're here?" Bethany asked and in the second it took Sephet to answer in the affirmative, they knew. "He doesn't?"

The princess crumbled and slumped against the wall. "No, he doesn't. I came here without anyone knowing and was hoping I could follow him during the race, but only managed to get here mostly due to dumb luck. I've been stowing away on ships as they travel and I've been lucky not getting caught so far. But then I started running low on supplies and came to get some more when those thugs came up and started harassing me," she said. Rick looked to Bethany, who was quiet. Quietly, she put her hand on the girl's forehead and closed her eyes. It looked as if she was checking Sephet's temperature, but it took Rick a moment to realize that she was actually reading the girl's thoughts.

"You're concerned about Aikka," the older woman said, slowly opening her eyes.

"Well of course I am. Why else would I be here?"

"That's not what I meant. You're concerned that his heart really belongs to Eva and you came to see if that's true." Sephet looked shocked and hurt. Bethany didn't mince words, it was all very matter of fact.

For a moment, Rick thought it couldn't be true. But as he recalled his time on Alwas, Eva did seem to develop something of a thing for the Nourasian prince. And it seemed to be reciprocated, since he'd come to see her when Bethany was in the hospital on Gawa. Rick might've been able to chalk it up to youth and the fact that he, Eva and Jordan had been facing the end of everything on Oban, but Aikka was still a prince. He held himself to higher standards than that. But all of this had very little impact on Rick, unless it somehow started messing with Eva's racing.

He stood up and brushed some dirt off his pants, though it made little difference. "Whatever your reason for being here, you can't keep doing what you've been doing. First off, you need to find one of these cloaks," he said, pulling on his own. "They're made to specifically handle the sand and wind of this planet and will be infinitely cooler than that purple robe you're wearing."

"What? This robe is to be worn by royalty, it is my duty as princess_"

"Yeah, and that's why those guys were trying to mug you," Bethany piped up. "It practically reeks of money. And it's dark. You stick out like a sore thumb amongst all this tan and neutral. Didn't you bring anything else?"

The princess smiled and held out a bag. "I may be royalty but I at least have enough common sense to pack only the necessities."

Bethany peeked into the bag and groaned. She reached in and pulled out a very white, very sheer piece of cloth. "Is this what you consider practical casual wear?" she asked.

Sephet shrugged. "This was all I had. The rest were gowns and robes that were far too heavy to bring along."

Rick didn't like the options of what they now had to do with the princess. It was obvious she was way in over her head and not adequately prepared. There was no way they were going to let her go back to ship hopping her way along the race. But he did not want to face Aikka and all the crap that was probably going to happen there. But when he saw the look on Bethany's face, she'd come to the same conclusion. He sighed and headed back to their transport, hearing the telltale squeak that Bethany was dragging the princess with her.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"We're taking you to Aikka."

"No! Please don't I'll do anything_"

"Listen princess, you haven't given us much choice on the matter and we can't keep another person with us. Or do you want to have to tangle with Eva on a daily basis?" Bethany asked. That seemed to shut the princess up since she offered little resistance as Bethany helped her slid into the seat. The woman handed Sephet a mask as Rick started up the engine.

This was not a visit he was looking forward to.

AN: Yay, another chapter done! My apologies again for not posting. Laziness. I have no other excuse.

So let me know what you think. Please review. Thanks for reading!


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I do not own Oban Star-Racers or any of the characters. Bethany is mine.**

Rick was trying to think of multiple ways of just dropping off Aikka's fiancé without having to actually face the Nourasian prince. Because if they waltzed in with her, he had a feeling that the prince would connect two-and-two together and get fish.

He caught snippets of the conversation going on between Bethany and Sephet because they had to shout to be heard over the roar of the wind and the engine. From what he garnered, Bethany had gotten the false arm when she was seven and her brother had pushed her into a shark tank at an amusement park. Normally, sharks would swim away when disturbed, but she happened to land on top of one that took it personally and before she could climb out, it had shredded her right arm. Rick felt a twinge of irritation, but said nothing.

The Nourasian garage was coming into view and he could see Sephet nervously twisting her hands as they drew closer. Aikka's big blue beetle was the first thing they saw but he seemed no more interested in them than he would a breeze as they stopped the transport. But that all changed when Sephet pushed back her hood and the bug went nuts, _clicking_ and _whirring_ up a storm.

"Shhh, Gadar, please quiet down," the princess whispered. She ran over to the beetle, stroking its side while his tongue reached out to touch her. She smiled slightly but immediately stiffened when they heard a door open.

"Gadar, is everything alright? You made quite a commotion," Aikka said. He headed down the stairs but stopped short when he noticed part of the Earth team in the doorway. "Oh, I didn't know we had guests. May I inquire as to why you are here?"

Bethany and Rick exchanged looks. "We came to deliver a package for you," Rick told him as he gestured at Gadar. The prince looked skeptical but he walked around the beetle, halting when he saw his fiancé.

To describe the look on Aikka's face was easy. Mostly shock, but there was definitely anger and perhaps even a little guilt. But the fact that he managed to display all of these at once was a talent in itself. Sephet cringed as she turned into a shrinking violet.

"Hello Aikka," she whispered.

"Wha…how…do you…" he stuttered but couldn't seem to nail down one thought. Rage eventually won out and he crossed the last few feet and grabbed her arm. "What are you doing here?" he yelled.

"I just…I just wanted to see you," she whimpered. "Please Aikka that hurts." It didn't seem to get through as he gripped her arm tighter.

"Do you know how much danger you are in? You may be a princess but that doesn't give you the right to go wherever you please!"

"I know! I'm sorry! Please Aikka!" she cried. She was in danger of being seriously hurt until Rick pried his hand off.

"That's enough, prince," Rick said. His voice was low and dangerous and it seemed to snap Aikka out of the daze he was in. He looked from Rick to Sephet, who was holding her arm. She wouldn't meet his eyes and was biting her lower lip.

The pained expression that came over Aikka even made Bethany wince. He seemed to struggle with how to apologize, like if he should hold her or touch her. But ended up just giving her a very deep bow.

"My apologies, princess. I let my emotions sway my actions. I cannot apologize enough for hurting you," he said. The princess wouldn't answer. The silence was tense and nearly suffocating. Thankfully, Cannan took the moment to interrupt.

"Prince? What was all the noise about earlier?" he asked. "Gadar is not hurt, is he?" It wasn't until he came around the beetle that he finally spotted their guest. "Princess Sephet! My lady, it is good to see you. I hope that you are in good health," he said, bowing low.

"I am fine, thank you. For now I hope that you will stay with you, as I have no other lodgings and no way of getting back home," she said. The sword master looked worried as he raised his head.

"Well certainly my lady. But may I ask why you do not have one of your ladies-in-waiting accompanying you?" Sephet winced a little but seemed to find her backbone.

"I came here under my own power. My reasons are my own," she said when the sword master opened his mouth. He looked startled but bowed again.

"Certainly. I will arrange a room for you_"

"That won't be necessary." They were all shocked by that. Her eyes were red and tears ran down her face but there was certain…determination in her visage that one wouldn't normally associate with her. "I will stay here, with Gadar. I will ask for a mat, a pillow and a blanket, but that is all."

"But my lady_"

"That is all," she said and sat down, huddling against the beetle. They were all a little shocked and more than a little uncomfortable. Aikka looked as if he might do something, but thought better of it. He turned to leave, but not before Bethany caught up with him.

"What the hell was all that about?" she hissed. There was anger in his eyes when he looked at her but there wasn't much venom behind it. It was more like he was angry at himself.

"I let my anger get the better of me. It won't happen again," he said.

"I hope so. Otherwise, she can come stay with us," Rick told him. They both noticed the Nourasian prince wince but said nothing. "You need to talk to her and resolve whatever unspoken tension there is between the two of you. Otherwise, you're in for one miserable lifetime of wedded bliss."

Aikka only nodded before heading back up the stairs. Cannan bowed before them as they watched the prince leave.

"Thank you for bringing the princess here. We will be sure to watch after her."

"Good. Just let her know that if anything happens she can always come ask the Earth team for help," Rick told him. Cannan nodded and bowed one last time before they headed out.

Rick and Bethany were silent as they got back in the transport and headed off. It was getting late as one of the suns was setting, although in only a few hours the other one would be rising on the opposite horizon. It was actually a little chilly as the wind whipped at their coats.

"It kind of reminds me of home," Rick said.

"What?" He started and looked over at Bethany. She looked…almost startled. "What did you say?"

"Oh, yeah sorry. I was saying that this weather reminds me of home. I grew up out in Arizona, near the desert and it got pretty cold at night," he replied.

"You've…never talked about your home. Or where you grew up." She didn't elaborate, didn't push him to talk, but he remembered how she'd told him all about her past. Fair is fair.

"I grew up in Arizona with my mom. As if my last name weren't a dead giveaway, we're part of Navajo nation although we lived off reservation my whole life. My dad, well I don't know what happened to him. He left when I was very young so my mom raised me by herself."

"But you obviously had some male influence in your life," she said suddenly. He glanced at her and she gestured at, well him. It took a moment to register but he laughed when he figured it out.

"The tattoos? No I got those after I was introduced to racing via our own Don Wei. But yeah, my mom had several older brothers who kind of filled in the vacancy. But even still, it's always been just me and her." The silence filled in as lights appeared in the distance.

"Must've been nice," Bethany muttered.

"What?" Now it was Rick's turn to be confused. "Nice for a mother to have to raise her son all by herself?"

"No, nice to actually have family that loves you," she said as they pulled up to the garage. She jumped out as soon as they stopped and disappeared around the corner. He jumped out too but she was already laden with her groceries and leaving when he got there. Rick sighed and started to gather his own purchases. He was going to have to finish this discussion later.

Which by the look of things, wouldn't be for quite a while as they had a crowd blocking the open door. Rick and Bethany had to push their way through, though their extra bulk seemed to help. But when they finally caught sight of what had gathered so many people, it seemed to suck the breath from them.

"I said GET OUT!" Eva screamed. Anger and hurt radiated off of her in palpable waves, but she was also stubborn as hell and stood her ground.

"And I said no!" Jordan yelled back. "We used to be partners! This used to be my team! What's so wrong with me coming by and seeing how you're doing?" It was a genuine question, one Eva didn't have a smart-ass comeback for.

"Because you're the Avatar now! It'll be seen as showing favor!" But that didn't mean she wouldn't try to use some half-assed one anyway.

Rick and Bethany both groaned and while she went up the stairs, carefully, he set about putting away the new parts and engine liquid. There was no way, as far as he was concerned, that he was going to get in the middle of this.

"That's not how this competition works and you know it! Geez, I just wanted to come see how you were doing after the crash. I haven't been able to get away from duties until now and this is how I'm treated?" Jordan sighed, not that Rick could blame him. The mechanic turned around to see that Eva's face had gone such a deep shade of red he was shocked she hadn't passed out.

Apparently she was out of retorts as she turned and started stalking up the stairs. But paused half-way up.

"Thank you. For you know, catching me. Back on Nourasia," she muttered before running the rest of the way up. This was the third time today that Rick was stunned into silence. Even Jordan seemed at a lose for words.

Rick finally snapped out of it when people started leaving since all prospect of a fight had disappeared. With fewer witnesses around, he went over and clapped a hand on Jordan's shoulder.

"So what did you manage to do that's got Eva so upset?" he asked. Jordan turned and smiled, pulling the older man in for a hug.

"Rick! It's good to see you! How have you been? What are you doing here? I thought that accident had left you unable to race."

"It did. I work for Don as a mechanic. I just couldn't stay away. But look at you, all official in your fancy robes. And you're even a few inches taller, though I still beat you," he joked. "So what exactly happened that's got our pilot all flustered?"

Jordan's smile faltered. "Ah. I really did come by to say hi and see how Mo-I mean Eva was doing, but the second she saw me she jumped right on my case. How dare I, did I know what I'd done, what gave me the right, yada yada yada." He scratched the back of his head, giving Rick a sheepish look. "I admit my intentions weren't entirely 'selfless' but still I thought she might be happy to see me. Maybe a little?" He looked so dejected that Rick couldn't help but feel sorry for the young man.

"Look, there are a lot of things that Eva has to deal with right now. One of which would explain a lot about why she was on your case like a dog with a bone. But as much as I would like to tell you," he warned as the Avatar looked hopeful, "I think it's best if she does." And all hope seemed to evaporate for Jordan.

"I would say it's a good thing I'm the Avatar and have lots of time to wait, but I don't think she'll ever tell me," Jordan said.

"Well, would it help if I said you weren't the only one having women problems?" That took Jordan by surprised, although he got cocky way too quickly for Rick's comfort.

"Really? And here I thought that Rick Thunderbolt never had women troubles."

"I don't. At least, not normally. But this one, well she's different," he said. He scowled when Jordan's smug grin widened.

"She sounds important," he chuckled. Rick punched his shoulder, which made Jordan laugh out loud. It sounded good, hearing his friend laugh.

Just then, sounds of a motorbike echoed off the walls and a tiny blue alien barged in.

"Bethany? Is there a Bethany here?" he asked. Rick pointed him up the stairs, which he was up, in and out in less than thirty seconds. It actually took a moment to register that the bike was even speeding off until after the sound had faded.

The two men were exchanging looks when the door to the office swung open and Bethany tore off towards the sleeping quarters. For a moment there was dead silence before a very loud, very angry "WHAT?" reverberated down to them. Bethany came out a moment later, yelling for Don.

"Wait B what's wrong?" Rick asked. She looked at him with wild eyes.

"The race. It starts again tomorrow morning."

**AN: Dun dun dun! Ha, so far behind. But I actually like how this came out. And everyone kept asking how Aikka would respond to seeing his fiancé. Really I don't think Aikka's as big a jerk as I make him out to me. But I do think he would feel guilty knowing he has a fiancé but that he also has feelings for Eva and since no one's around to say otherwise he unwisely flirts with her. So fiancé showing up is like a slap in the face, since she already had a hunch that something was up. Also, sometimes he's just too damn proper and I just wanted to show him expressing more emotion.**

**Ah and Rick's backstory. I remember on the Oban forums someone suggesting that Rick was probably Native American because of his last name and it just kind of clicked for me. For some reason, it also clicked that he would be raised by a single mother. There have been studies of Native American tribes that have shown a high dependency on alcohol, so maybe his father was an alcoholic who just couldn't take what people thought of him and his family and just left. That's up for you to decide. I chose Navajo partially because it's so recognizable and also because their reservation is partially in Arizona. Don't ask me where that came up, I just think desert and Arizona pops into my head. **

**Thanks for reading! Please review!**


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